Diddy denounces Netflix documentary as ’embarrassing hit piece’ with ‘stolen footage’

A spokesperson for Sean “Diddy” Combs has labeled 50 Cent’s upcoming Netflix docuseries “Sean Combs: The Reckoning” an “embarrassing hit” and accused Netflix of using “stolen footage that was never authorized for release.”

When reached for comment about the stolen footage allegation, a Netflix representative directed Variety from a quote by docuseries director Alexandria Stapleton. “It came to us: we obtained the images legally and have the necessary rights,” she said. “We have moved heaven and earth to keep the identity of the filmmaker confidential. One thing about Sean Combs is that he is always filming himself, and it has been an obsession over the decades. We also reached out to Sean Combs’ legal team several times for an interview and comment, but we did not hear back.”

Combs’ rep released the statement on Monday, the day before “The Reckoning” premiered, after Netflix released a new teaser for the docuseries. In it, Combs is seen on a phone call six days before his 2024 arrest, saying, “We need to find someone who will work with us and who has worked in the dirtiest dirty companies. We are losing.”

Combs’ rep says that “Combs has been collecting footage to tell his own story in his own way since he was 19,” but that Netflix is ​​using his words out of context. The statement also mentions Ted Sarandos by name several times, saying that Combs “has long respected” the Netflix CEO and that he “expected fairness from people he respected.” Additionally, the rep wrote that 50 Cent is “a longtime adversary with a personal vendetta who has spent too much time vilifying Mr. Combs” and that it is “baffling that Netflix has handed over creative control to him.”

Read the full statement below.

Netflix’s so-called ‘documentary’ is an embarrassing hit piece. Today GMA teaser confirms that Netflix relied on stolen footage that was never allowed to be released. As Netflix and CEO Ted Sarandos know, Mr. Combs has been collecting footage since he was 19 to tell his own story in his own way. It is fundamentally unfair and illegal for Netflix to misappropriate that work.

Netflix is ​​clearly desperate to sensationalize every minute of Mr. Combs’ life, without regard to the truth, to capitalize on a never-ending media frenzy. If Netflix cared about the truth or Mr. Combs’ legal rights, it wouldn’t decontextualize private footage — including conversations with its lawyers that were never intended for public viewing. No rights to that material were ever transferred to Netflix or any third party.

It’s equally baffling that Netflix has handed over creative control to Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson — a longtime adversary with a personal vendetta who has spent too much time vilifying Mr. Combs.

Leaving aside the legal issues, this is a personal breach of trust. Mr. Combs has long respected Ted Sarandos and admired the legacy of Clarence Avant. For Netflix to give his life story to someone who has publicly attacked him for decades feels like an unnecessary and very personal insult. At the very least, he expected honesty from people he respected.