Diddy Brands Netflix Documentary as 'Shameful Hit Piece'

Sean "Diddy" Combs has launched a scathing attack against Netflix's upcoming docuseries about his life, branding it a "shameful hit piece" and accusing the streaming giant of using unauthorised footage.

The controversy erupted just one day before Sean Combs: The Reckoning was set to premiere, with Combs' representatives releasing a strongly-worded statement challenging the documentary's legitimacy, per Variety. The rapper's team claims Netflix has utilised "stolen footage that was never authorized for release" and argues the streaming service is violating his legal rights.

Read the full statement below:

Netflix’s so-called ‘documentary’ is a shameful hit piece. Today’s GMA teaser confirms that Netflix relied on stolen footage that was never authorized for release. As Netflix and CEO Ted Sarandos know, Mr. Combs has been amassing 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 plainly desperate to sensationalize every minute of Mr. Combs’s life, without regard for truth, in order to capitalize on a never-ending media frenzy. If Netflix cared about truth or about Mr. Combs’s legal rights, it would not be ripping private footage out of context – including conversations with his lawyers that were never intended for public viewing. No rights in that material were ever transferred to Netflix or any third party.

Beyond 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 deeply personal affront. At minimum, he expected fairness from people he respected.