Diddy’s Mom Janice Smalls Combs Breaks Silence Amid His Sex Trafficking Charges: ‘Unbearable’

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ mother, Janice Smalls Combs, has broken her silence three weeks after he was arrested on sex trafficking charges.

“I come to you today as a mother that is devastated and profoundly saddened by the allegations made against my son, Sean Combs. It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth, but for a narrative created out of lies,” Janice’s attorney, Natlie G. Figgers, said in a statement obtained by Us Weekly on Sunday, October 6. “To bear witness [sic] what seems to be like a public lynching of my son before he has had the opportunity to prove his innocence is a pain too unbearable to put into words.”

Janice, 83, went on to state that Diddy, 54, “deserves to have this day in court, to finally share his side, and to prove his innocence.”

After insisting that she was “not here to portray [her] son as perfect because he is not,” Janice admitted that Diddy “has made mistakes in his past, as we all have.”

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“My son may not have been entirely truthful about certain things, such as denying he has ever gotten violent with an ex-girlfriend when the hotel’s surveillance showed otherwise,” she continued.

The comment was a reference to a 2016 incident that was uncovered by CNN in May. The outlet obtained footage in which Diddy appeared to violently assault then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura during their stay at a hotel in Los Angeles. The clip showed Diddy seemingly grabbing Cassie, 38, by her neck as he shoved, dragged and kicked her on the ground.

Two days after the video was released, Diddy broke his silence by issuing an apology for his actions.

The video was released after Cassie sued Diddy in November 2023 for sexual assault and physical abuse that took place over the course of 10 years. He had denied the allegations, and the lawsuit was settled.

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“Sometimes, the truth and a lie become so closely intertwined that it becomes terrifying to admit one part of the story, especially when that truth is outside the norm or is too complicated to be believed,” Janice continued. “This is why I believe my son’s civil legal team opted to settle the ex-girlfriend’s lawsuit instead of contesting it until the end, resulting in a ricochet effect as the federal government used this decision against my son by interpreting it as an admission of guilt.”

She added that her son wasn’t necessarily “guilty of the repulsive allegations and the grave charges leveled against him” just because he wasn’t “entirely straightforward about one issue.”

“Many individuals who were wrongfully convicted and later exonerated had their freedom taken from them not because they were guilty of the crimes they were accused of, but because they didn’t fit the image of what this society considers to be a ‘good person,’” Janice said.

“Watching the world make jokes and laugh at my son’s life crumbling before our eyes is something I can never forget. It is truly agonizing to watch the world turn against my son so quickly and easily over lies and misconceptions, without ever hearing his side or affording him the opportunity to present his side,” she continued.

Janice then claimed that the allegations against her son “are motivated by those seeking a financial gain, and not justice.”

“These individuals saw how quickly my son’s civil legal team settled his ex-girlfriend’s lawsuit, so they believe they can receive a quick payday by falsely accusing my son,” the statement read. “False allegations of sexual assault thwart true victims of sexual violence from getting the justice they deserve.”

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She added that “the federal government is now using these lies to prosecute my son,” stating that the “injustice has been unbearable for our family.”

“The worst part of this ordeal is watching my beloved son be stripped of his dignity, not for what he did, but for what people choose to believe about him,” Janice concluded. “I beg you to think about those who have been wrongfully persecuted, to remember that not everyone who has made mistakes in life deserves to have their entire existence judged by a single action or a few mistakes. My son is not the monster they have painted him to be, and he deserves the chance to tell his side.”

Diddy was arrested on sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution charges on September 16. A 14-page indictment claimed that Diddy “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him” for decades. He was also accused of participating in the acts to fulfill “his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct.”

He has since pleaded not guilty to the charges and will remain behind bars at Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn until his trial.