Five former employees of rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs are now alleging that he was an abusive boss following the release of a video showing Combs beating his girlfriend in a hotel hallway.
One female employee told Daily Beast that she quit after Combs physically grabbed her face and screamed at her over a disagreement about a fashion decision he made.
She recounted that Combs demanded she stick her tongue out, saying he wanted to see if it was bloody because she was clearly biting it. He also told her she was in the presence of a fashion genius and should imagine she was talking to Karl Lagerfeld when speaking to him.
Another ex-staffer, who claimed he was fired for giving Combs “a look” after Combs arrived hours late for a meeting, described the mogul’s behavior as erratic and mentally abusive. He criticized the “culture of fear” Combs created, stating there was “a lot of profanity, aggressive, in-your-face—physically in-your-face—behavior.”
A third employee called working for Combs “the worst experience I ever had in my life.”
One employee recounted that Combs was paranoid about the women he had with him at work events. When an employee inquired about one particular woman, chaos ensued with staffers warning him never to mention or even look at any of the women Combs was with. The incident ended with Combs forcefully grabbing the employee’s arm and warning him about discussing his women.
Employees even coined the term “catching a brick” to describe becoming a target of Combs’ anger.
An employee from another company, who had close dealings with Combs and Sean John employees, confirmed the toxic culture. “There was a lot of cursing, talking to people crazy, calling women bitches, and saying, ‘Fuck you,’ or ‘Stupid,’” and “‘I’ll fire y’all bitches right now,’” she said. She noted that Combs did not treat men in the fashion industry this way unless they lacked power or stature.
None of these former Combs employees were surprised by the hotel surveillance video showing Combs’ attack on Cassie. One ex-staffer remarked, “I’m sorry that it took this long. I hope he gets what’s coming to him.”
They all agreed that Sean John had a high employee turnover rate, resulting in a revolving door for staff.
Still, some employees told the Daily Beast they had a positive experience working at Sean John.
Lampos is one of six other women who have filed similar lawsuits alleging rape and physical abuse.
He is also being sued by singer Cassie Ventura, the woman seen being beaten in the surveillance video.
Combs faces additional legal issues with recent federal raids on his properties in California and Florida as part of a sex trafficking investigation.
The rapper has denied all allegations, with his lawyer condemning the raids as “a gross use of military-level force,” insisting that Combs is “innocent and will continue to fight” to clear his name. However, Combs did issue an apology for the video showing him beating Cassie.
