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USA Today
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Danity Kane alums Aubrey O'Day, D. Woods reunited to talk Diddy. Here's what went down.
It's a Danity Kane reunion — but pop nostalgia is not on the agenda. Singers Aubrey O'Day and D. Woods, who comprised Sean "Diddy" Combs' former girl group, reunited for O'Day's podcast "Aubrey O'Day, Covering the Diddy Trial," to reflect on their time working with the embattled hip-hop mogul. Combs, 55, has been on trial since May following his September 2024 arrest on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. "It's really triggering. It's really stomach-turning," said Woods, who has not been following coverage of the trial for "mental health and spiritual protection's sake." "Parents and loved ones may even feel a sense of guilt because (at) the time, nobody knew what we were really dealing with and what atmosphere we were really in. I think what people wanted was for us to take advantage of this opportunity" to work with Combs. Danity Kane, a pop-R&B outfit that featured O'Day and Woods alongside Dawn Richard, Shannon Bex and Aundrea Fimbres, was formed on Combs' reality competition series "Making the Band" in 2005. The group released two studio albums, 2006's "Danity Kane" and 2008's "Welcome to the Dollhouse," and scored a pair of top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 before disbanding in 2009 (O'Day, Richard, Bex, and Fimbres reunited for a short-lived revival in 2013). Since their time in the group, O'Day and Woods have spoken out about the alleged abuse they experienced working under the Bad Boy Records founder. Woods, appearing in the Investigation Discovery docuseries "The Fall of Diddy," accused Combs of verbal abuse and making sexual advances. O'Day, who was at one point rumored to be a witness in Combs' trial, likened her professional relationship with Combs to "childhood trauma" in a June 2024 interview with People magazine. 'Fall of Diddy' doc revelations: Former assistant, Danity Kane member speak out Additionally, the women's bandmate Richard has taken legal action against Combs, suing him in September on 21 counts of sexual assault and battery, sex trafficking, gender discrimination, and copyright infringement. Richard also took the stand in Combs' trial and testified on the physical violence she reportedly witnessed from the Grammy-winning rapper. "We didn't even get questions like, 'Are you safe?' That wasn't in anyone's conversation," O'Day told Woods. "All the girls that didn't make it that were always a little salty along the way whenever we'd run into them, they'd look at us like we're so lucky. And as time moved forward, we would ... get back together (and be) like, 'Girl, you're kind of lucky you didn't make it.'" D. Woods felt 'like a piece of meat' working with Diddy While reflecting on Richard's lawsuit and its claims of sexual abuse, Woods and O'Day spoke about Combs' alleged treatment of the girl group. Woods said while she doesn't recall being sexualized by the music mogul, she alleged Combs frequently belittled the women in his remarks. "I didn't feel the sexual exchange, or maybe I just was oblivious to that because we were mad young," Woods said. "But what I did experience was the dehumanizing objectification and just really feeling like I'm just like a piece of meat, just feeling like I'm being tossed to and fro (with) no consideration of our humanity." "We're all supposed to be on the same team," Woods added. But "he really treated us like we were — like he said to us several different times — 'You are not worth the (expletive) on the bottom of my shoes.'" 10 bingeable memoirs to check out: Celebrities tell all about aging, marriage and Beyoncé Why D. Woods thinks Diddy fired her and Aubrey O'Day from Danity Kane In a series of rapid-fire questions, O'Day asked Woods about her perspective on their termination from Danity Kane. The women were fired from the group during a meeting with Combs in the 2008 finale of "Making the Band 4." "It was sexual harassment and retaliation. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it,' Woods said. When asked about her own firing, Woods said: "Because I was close to (O'Day), and it was retaliation." Woods' remarks echo her account of O'Day and Combs' relationship in "The Fall of Diddy." The singer said O'Day confided in her that Combs often sent "inappropriate" photos to her, which allegedly included "overtly pornographic" material, and that during a 2008 run-in at New York Fashion Week, Combs reportedly told O'Day she was now "hot enough" to have sex with him. Shortly after O'Day's alleged fashion week encounter, Combs called a mandatory meeting with Danity Kane, during which O'Day and Woods were fired. Woods said Combs retaliated against O'Day, in part, because she didn't "succumb to his advances." "He wanted her to feel powerless and question her worth," Woods said. "I feel like that's part of the same reason why he probably got rid of me, too." Contributing: Naledi Ushe and Jay Stahl, USA TODAY
Los Angeles Times
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
‘Ugly Betty' alum Eric Mabius arrested on suspicion of battery in Florida bar brawl
Actor Eric Mabius, who starred in the hit ABC series 'Ugly Betty' and several Hallmark movies, was arrested early Thursday morning in Florida's Nassau County. The 'Resident Evil' and 'Welcome to the Dollhouse' actor, 53, was booked on two misdemeanor charges: battery and resisting a law enforcement officer without violence, according to the Nassau County Sheriff's Office database. Representatives for Mabius did not immediately respond to The Times' request for comment Thursday. Mabius was one of two people arrested after a brawl that broke out in a bar in Yulee, about 25 miles north of Jacksonville, according to an arrest report obtained by The Times. The incident as outlined in the report involves allegations of pushing, spitting, disrespect and drunkenness. A deputy said he observed two 'extremely intoxicated people' — a woman and a man. The drunk woman was 'continuously being disrespectful,' allegedly spat on people and was asked to leave multiple times by patrons and a bartender, according to the report. The inebriated woman was confronted by a second woman, who told her to leave, the deputy said. Then the drunk woman allegedly shoved the second woman as well as Mabius — who is accused of knocking both of the women down. The deputy said the second woman accused Mabius of getting on top of her and 'pulling her hair, ripping a handful of her hair from her scalp.' Mabius, along with the inebriated woman, were removed from the bar by law enforcement, the report said. Outside the bar, Mabius 'became more belligerent' and did not follow a 'simple command' to sit on a bench, the deputy said. The deputy also said the actor tried to get up and 'walk behind' him while law enforcement attempted to finish the investigation of the incident. Multiple deputies had to escort Mabius back on the bench, and he was arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest without violence. According to the report, the woman whose hair was pulled did not want to press charges against anyone. Mabius, who rose to prominence in the mid-1990s, portrayed heartthrob and fashion magazine editor Daniel Meade in ABC's 'Ugly Betty,' which starred America Ferrera in the title role. He also appeared in TV series 'The L Word,' 'Chicago Fire' and several installments of Hallmark's 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered' TV movie franchise.
