LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs admitted he beat his ex-girlfriend Cassie in a hotel hallway in 2016 after CNN released video footage of the incident. In a video apology, he expressed being “truly sorry” and termed his actions “inexcusable.”
“I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now,” the music mogul stated in a video posted Sunday to Instagram and Facebook.
The footage shows Combs, clad only in a white towel, punching and kicking Cassie, an R&B singer who was his protege and longtime girlfriend at the time. The video further depicts Combs shoving and dragging Cassie, and throwing a vase her way.
Cassie, whose legal name is Cassandra Ventura, sued Combs in November, alleging years of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. The suit was settled the next day but drew significant public scrutiny, leading to multiple additional lawsuits and a federal criminal sex-trafficking investigation. Authorities subsequently raided Combs’ mansions in Los Angeles and Miami.
He denied the allegations in the lawsuits, but neither he nor his representatives responded to the newly released video until Sunday.
“Reflecting on the darkest times in your life is very difficult, but sometimes it’s necessary,” Diddy said in the video. “I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now. I went and sought professional help—therapy, rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to being a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness, I’m truly sorry.”
In the somber, selfie-style apology video, Combs is seen wearing a T-shirt and appears to be on a patio.
The security camera footage, dated March 5, 2016, closely aligns with the description of an incident at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, detailed in Ventura’s lawsuit.
The suit claims Combs paid the hotel $50,000 for the security video immediately following the incident. Neither he nor his representatives have addressed this specific allegation. CNN has not disclosed how it acquired the footage.
