Diddy is facing a resurgence of abuse allegations after surveillance footage emerged seemingly corroborating claims made by his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. The grainy videos, reportedly from 2016, show a physical altercation at a Los Angeles hotel, aligning with details from Cassie’s lawsuit filed last November. Though settled quickly, the suit detailed years of abuse, including the alleged hotel incident where Cassie suffered a black eye.
This isn’t an isolated case. Other prominent Black American figures in the entertainment industry have been accused of violence against their partners.
Aside From Diddy, Here’re Other Black American Stars Who’ve Been Accused Of Assault
- Sean “Diddy” Combs
Diddy is the target of several civil lawsuits that characterize him as a violent sexual predator who used alcohol and drugs to subdue his victims, and his homes were raided this year by federal agents.
About a year ago, the rapper was accused of sexual assault for the second time, just days after settling a different lawsuit that alleged, he had raped and abused another woman.
According to court documents obtained by People, Joi Dickerson-Neal accused Diddy of drugging and raping her when she was a university student in 1991, adding that she was also the victim of “revenge porn”, with Diddy allegedly recording and sharing a tape of the incident. A spokesperson for Combs responded by saying that “Mr Combs never assaulted her, and she implicates companies that did not exist. This is purely a money grab and nothing more.”
A 2016 footage, which was obtained and published by CNN, shows the rap mogul hitting, dragging, and kicking the singer known as Cassie, who in her recent lawsuit said Combs subjected her to more than a decade of coercion by physical force and drugs, plus a 2018 rape.
In the video, Ventura leaves a hotel room after which Combs, appearing to wear only a towel, chases her before throwing her to the ground and assaulting her.
“The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs. Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light,” read a statement from her lawyer Douglas Wigdor.
Ventura sued Combs in federal court last fall, a bombshell suit that was settled out of court but succeeded by a string of similarly lurid sexual assault claims against the hip-hop star.
Ventura met Combs when she was 19 and he was 37, after which he signed her to his label and they began a romantic relationship.
Combs has vehemently denied all accusations against him
2. Jamie Foxx
In another recent report, it was disclosed that American actor Jamie Foxx is facing a lawsuit from a woman accusing him of “sexual assault, abuse, assault, and battery” for the second time, following a previous lawsuit filed three years ago which was ultimately dismissed, as reported by the BBC.
The lawsuit claims that Foxx groped the woman after she asked him to take a photo with her at an NYC rooftop restaurant in 2015. A representative for Foxx responded by saying that “the alleged incident never happened”, per the BBC, and that once the case has been dismissed “Foxx intends to pursue a claim for malicious prosecution against this person and her lawyers for refiling this frivolous action.”
3. Axl Rose
Axl Rose, the lead singer of Guns N’ Roses, is reportedly facing a lawsuit for an alleged sexual assault that occurred in 1989. Sheila Kennedy, a former model, has recently come forward claiming that the rock star violently assaulted her in a New York hotel room during that time. In response to these accusations, Rose’s attorney firmly denied the allegations, stating, “Simply put, this incident never happened,” adding that Rose had “no recollection” of ever meeting Kennedy.
4. Drake
The celebrity reportedly paid $350,000 to a woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017, during the British leg of his Boy Meets World tour.
In November 2018, the hip-hop star settled a lawsuit with Laquana Morris, who also goes by the name Layla Lace. He filed against Morris for civil extortion, fraud, emotional distress, abuse of process, and defamation.
Drake admitted to having consensual sex with Morris while at a hotel in Manchester, England, in February 2017, but denied all allegations of non-consensual sex.
In her complaint, Morris describes what allegedly happened after she and Drake went back to his hotel room following his Manchester concert.
Morris reportedly aggrieved that the November 2018 settlement with Drake included a statement that she now claims portrayed him as the victim in the situation. She also claims that her attorney worked with Drake’s lawyer against her best interests.
US media reports that Morris may have breached the agreement by revealing details of the settlement, which included a requirement that she not repeat her allegations of sexual assault.
5. Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby, once known as the beloved father figure on the popular 1980s sitcom The Cosby Show, saw his reputation crumble as numerous women stepped forward to accuse him of rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment starting in 2014.
According to the Associated Press, the number of accusers eventually reached over 60. Recently, the disgraced comedian faced yet another accusation of sexual assault, as reported by CNN.
6. Cuba Gooding Jr
The Oscar-winning actor was sued by two women again as a result of the Adult Survivors Act after their original criminal lawsuit saw the Jerry Maguire actor plead guilty but not serve jail time for sexual misconduct, as reported in The Guardian.
7. Nelly
In 2018, Police arrested Nelly, after a woman identified as Monique Greene reported he had sexually assaulted her on his tour bus in the city of Auburn.
An Auburn police investigation found probable cause of an assault, but prosecutors decided against charging the rapper, citing a lack of cooperation by his accuser.
Afterward, Nelly’s attorney issued several public statements contending the then-unidentified woman had made up her claims.
Greene, then a 22-year-old student at the University of Washington, sued Nelly.
He responded by countersuing Greene for defamation, contending their sexual encounter was consensual. His claims also were dropped under the dismissal agreement.
8. Soulja Boy
Soulja Boy was ordered to pay his ex-girlfriend $235,900 stemming from an assault and kidnapping lawsuit she filed against the rapper in 2020.
In court documents obtained by Billboard, the rapper, born DeAndre Way, must pay Kayla Myers compensatory damages totaling $235,900 — $1,800 for “mental health expenses” and the remaining $234,100 for “physical and mental pain and suffering.” He is also being ordered to pay an additional $236,000 in punitive damages, for an overall amount totaling $471,900.
According to Myers’ original complaint, the alleged assault and kidnapping occurred at the rapper’s Malibu home after a party in February 2019 and reportedly lasted six hours. Myers claimed she tried to leave but that one of Soulja Boy’s assistants prevented her from her doing so. She also alleged that Soulja held a gun to her head, issued numerous threats against her, and at one point struck her with the firearm.
9. Conor McGregor
According to the BBC, the UFC fighter was accused of “violently” forcing himself on a woman in the VIP bathrooms at an NBA finals game in Miami in June, but the charges have since been dropped.
10. Steven Tyler
Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler was accused of sexual assault by two separate women.
According to Page Six, the second woman, Jeanne Bellino, just recently filed a lawsuit against the singer saying it all happened when she was working as a model when she was 17 in the summer of 1975.
The suit alleges that Tyler, who was 27 at the time, forced her into a phone booth and “stuck his tongue down her throat” and “put his hands upon her body, breasts, her buttocks, and her genitals, moving and removing clothing and pinning her against the wall of the phone booth.”
In December 2022, the first alleged victim Julia Holcomb filed a sexual assault lawsuit against the musician, alleging that they began a sexual relationship when she was only 16 in 1973. She also claimed that Tyler allegedly forced her to get an abortion.
