Sean "Diddy" Combs allegedly forced his Bad Boy employees to stand outside the Times Square studio of MTV's TRL and hold signs with the hopes of winning back Jennifer Lopez following their breakup in 2001.
Damien Vasquez, a former intern at Bad Boy, disclosed the unusual alleged assignment in the explosive Rolling Stone report from Cheyenne Roundtree and Nancy Dillon on Combs. The investigative piece uses the anecdote to emphasize a concerning trend involving the disgraced mogul and the women he has dated.
Combs allegedly used a "network of operatives" to find Cassie whenever she went into hiding and implored her to return. A Bad Boy executive allegedly gave her an ultimatum: return Diddy's calls or her music would not be released.
This alleged behavior dates back to the late Kim Porter, who once told Essence that Combs called her "50, 60 times a day" after they ended their relationship. The split occurred after a then-pregnant Porter found out Diddy had a child with another woman. She also dealt with several allegations of cheating on his part, which included Lopez.
Former Bad Boy president Kirk Burrowes believes Diddy's behavior can be linked to previous losses in his life, such as the fatal shooting of his father Melvin at a young age. "He is fortified now with the money and power," Burrowes said, adding that "abandonment and the act of leaving can bring about vicious results."
Burrowes added, "And the women catch it the worst."
Roundtree and Dillon interviewed more than 50 people over the past six months about their encounters with Combs for the Rolling Stone piece. Those who were willing to speak range from former friends to Bad Boy employees to artists once signed to the label.
Former students who attended Howard University at the same time as Combs allege they witnessed an incident in which he struck his girlfriend with a belt. A Howard alum was admittedly unsurprised to hear about abuse allegations against Diddy.
"You’re already an abuser [in college]," the alum said. "You were already feeling you had to have certain power over people."
