On Monday, Combs’ attorneys sent the streaming giant a cease-and-desist letter demanding it halt the premiere and accusing Netflix of using “stolen footage” without authorization.
Convicted American music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has launched a last-minute legal offensive to stop Netflix from releasing Sean Combs: The Reckoning, a new docuseries produced by his longtime rival Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.
On Monday, Combs’ attorneys sent the streaming giant a cease-and-desist letter demanding it halt the premiere and accusing Netflix of using “stolen footage” without authorization.
According to CNN, Combs spokesperson said that the trailer for the series includes material filmed just six days before Combs’ September 2024 arrest, footage the team says belonged to Combs’ decades-long effort to chronicle his own life for a personal documentary.
“Sean was making his own documentary since he was 19 years old. This footage was commissioned as part of it,” spokesperson Juda Engelmayer said.
Engelmayer added that neither Combs nor his legal team was provided an advance screener of the Netflix project, which they expect to watch for the first time upon release.
Netflix declined direct comment, instead pointing to a statement from director Alexandra Stapleton, who insisted the production team acquired the footage lawfully.
“We obtained the footage legally and have the necessary rights,” Stapleton said, noting that Combs’ legal team was repeatedly invited to participate in the project but did not respond.
Combs’ attorneys warned Netflix that he “will not hesitate” to pursue further legal action, reminding the company of his past litigation, including a $100 million defamation lawsuit filed against NBC Universal over its Peacock documentary Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy.
In a broader statement, Combs’ representatives accused Netflix and CEO Ted Sarandos of knowingly “misappropriating” footage from Combs’ private archive and sharply criticized the decision to collaborate with Jackson, whom they described as a “longtime adversary with a personal vendetta.”
Jackson has continued to mock Combs on social media, posting several Instagram messages targeting him on Monday.
Combs is currently serving a 50-month federal sentence after being convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
He was acquitted of more serious racketeering and sex-trafficking charges. Following his September 2024 arrest, Combs was held in Brooklyn before being transferred to the federal prison at Fort Dix, New Jersey. He is appealing both his conviction and sentence.
His defence team previously said they sought a potential pardon from President Donald Trump’s administration.
Combs also faces roughly 70 civil lawsuits, many alleging drugging and sexual assault, claims he has repeatedly denied.
Several of the civil actions have been dismissed.