On the morning of November 22, Sean “Diddy” Combs She entered the New York City courtroom for a pretrial hearing. An eyewitness says the rapper's face, who was wearing khaki prison clothing, “lit up” when he saw his family members sitting in the second row. Led by his mother JaniceSix of his seven children had arrived a few minutes earlier and were sitting together holding hands when their father appeared. “He smiled, waved at them, blew them kisses and said ‘I love you,’” the eyewitness said. Us WeeklyAdding that the music mogul seems to be in good spirits.
Not for long. Five days later, Didi's request for bail was rejected for a third time. He spent Thanksgiving behind bars, and is now scheduled to celebrate Christmas while detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. The 55-year-old rapper was He was arrested and charged Charged with sex trafficking and racketeering on September 16, he pleaded not guilty the next day. (for him A trial has been scheduled To start in May 2025.) Since his arrest, more than 20 civil lawsuits have been filed against him, and he has denied all charges.
It will be a Christmas unlike any other for Didi, one marked by loneliness and lacking the usual luxuries. “He's trying to stay positive,” says a source. Us Weekly Cover story. In past years, founder Sean John has been surrounded by famous friends and loved ones, including his mother and children (father Quincy, 33, Justin, 30, Christian, 26, Chance, 18, twins Delilah and Jesse, who will turn 18 on 21 December, and two-year-old love). “The holidays will be especially difficult for the family without their father,” the source adds.
Mixed feelings
The cement halls of MDC aren't very festive this time of year. “There are no frills,” says a federal prison consultant. Sam MangelPointing out that prohibited items and anything with sharp edges or pins are prohibited in the facility. Visitors are welcomed on vacation, but stays are short — usually lasting 30 minutes to an hour, Mangel says — and limited to four people at a time. Phone calls are limited to 15 minutes. “When their families leave, the inmates become very polite,” Mangel says. “It gets very frustrating.” Ex-prisoner Brad Rosswho spent time at MDC between 2008 and 2009 and now works as a mentor to help criminal defendants and their families. we This Christmas has been especially tough on parents with young children at home. “The holidays were more painful for them,” he says, adding, “It is a very difficult place.”
Inmates are given a few breaks. Staff give inmates time in the indoor recreation yard to play sports tournaments, and they are also free to enjoy games of dominoes, chess and cards, Mangel says. Religious services are usually offered, and televisions are turned on and tuned to major sporting events. There can be a sense of camaraderie. “It wasn't easy being in prison over the holidays, but we were all in prison together,” Ross says. (One prisoner recalls drawing personalized holiday greeting cards containing sketches of Santa or their children for fellow prisoners to mail to their families in exchange for cans of mackerel.) Another former prisoner who was incarcerated in the 1990s and early 2000s agrees that the mood is lighter, at least for a little while. “Everyone gives a pass that day,” he says. we. “Like, if someone gets hurt, don't do it at Christmas. Wait until tomorrow, you know?”
Sean “Diddy” Combs started off 2023 with a bang, ringing in the new year with then-girlfriend Yung Miami and his celebrity pals aboard a 278-foot, $117 million luxury yacht while cruising the Caribbean waters of St. Barts. At midnight, the hip-hop mogul placed golden bottles of Ace of Spades champagne on the deck of the luxury ship (…)
The inmate recalls receiving a gift bag on Christmas Day, filled with items like Reese's candy, coffee and powdered drinks. “When everyone was locked in their cells, they would bring the bags on a pushcart and hand them out,” he says, adding: “It was wonderful. It really felt like a gift.” For about 10 days before and after Christmas, the prison commissioner would carry special items, including… That's pepperoni and provolone cheese, which inmates try to collect as currency. Inmates make something called “FOGU” with the sweets they receive. “It's like a mixture of candy and cookies, and then they put a little water or… Milk in it, and they mash it into a ball, which is their version of a little holiday dessert.”
Mangel speculates that Diddy might have his holiday meal with his famous prison mate Sam Bankman Fried A cryptocurrency tycoon who was convicted of fraud resides in the same unit. “I think they would probably eat together and discuss with their families what part of the world they were in last year,” he says. “They are from higher socio-economic backgrounds before they came there. So they can remember the island they were on last year.
Hanging in
Outside, Didi's family is doing their best to stay strong. On November 4, Quincy, Justin, Christian, Jessie, Della, and Chance posted a video to their Instagram accounts showing them all on a call with their father, who can be heard on speakerphone as Love. He sang “Happy Birthday.” The source says the older boys were looking after the younger children and that the family “believes in Diddy's innocence and that he will be vindicated.”
The source notes that Janice has been emotionally there for her grandchildren, who are being cared for by a close family friend in Florida. “Didi’s mother lives in Los Angeles but has been visiting back and forth.” She was also part of the holiday planning, trying to keep things festive for the kids. The source adds: “The family will honor Diddy at Christmas, and they are trying to talk to him as much as they can.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs was seen blowing kisses and smiling at his family during his final bail hearing on Friday, November 22. US Weekly was in the New York City courtroom where the rapper, 55, showed his affection for his mother, Janice Combs, and his mother. Six children: Justin, 30, Christian, 26, Quincy Brown, 33, Chance, 18, and twins (…)
Diddy focuses on his defense, but the shots keep coming. During the hearing on November 22, prosecutors claimed that he was trying to derail his case by organizing social media campaigns aimed at discrediting the jury pool; It included redacted notes found during the prison raid and alleged that he had “contacted witnesses through third parties” and used other inmates' phone accounts. Diddy denied the allegations, and his lawyers argued that seizing the notes violated attorney-client privilege.
In late November, fashion designer Brian Pongolan A lawsuit was filed claiming He pinned it from the 17th floor balcony while threatening to kill her in 2016. On December 8, he attacked his old friend Jay Z He was named in a lawsuit filed in October in which a woman claimed the rappers raped her in 2000. Diddy has denied all of the allegations. “He's been lining up character witnesses and people who can speak on his side,” the source says. “This is the hardest time in Diddy’s life, but he doesn’t give up on himself.”
To learn more about Diddy, watch the exclusive video above and catch the video The latest issue of Us Weekly – On newsstands now.
With reporting by Travis Cronin, Molly McGuigan, Andrea Simpson and Amanda Williams
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call National Sexual Assault Hotline At 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
