On Sept. 16, Diddy was arrested on federal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. In the indictment, prosecutors allege that, since at least 2008, he had “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others, and led a racketeering conspiracy that engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice, among other crimes.”
The indictment is extensive, and complicating matters are the various other civil cases being brought against the mogul. Collectively, they’ve congealed into a mass of controversy and confusion. That’s an elaborate way of saying there’s a lot we don’t know about the case, the civil cases, what it all means for the music industry, and how far it will all go. Naturally, people are looking for answers, and they’ve attempted to fill those blank spaces with conspiracy theories.
The conspiracies range from simple social media coincidences to elaborate ideas about corporate and political paybacks. Sketchy platforms and even seedier individuals have only made it all more difficult to parse through, further obfuscating the very real charges for very real crimes the embattled CEO is accused of committing.
Let’s examine the wildest Diddy conspiracies and track where, exactly, they came from.
Ye Was Trying to Save Taylor Swift From Diddy
While Ye was justifiably dragged for interrupting Taylor Swift’s MTV Video Music Awards speech 15 years ago, there users who are now saying the move was a strategic one designed to protect her from Diddy. The story goes that by creating a sort of chasm between Beyoncé and Taylor, Ye somehow prevented her from falling into the hands of Diddy, whom fans believe has some kind of odd, sinister connection to Bey and Jay-Z. There are even those who claim that Ye actually saved Taylor from being killed by Bey. It goes without saying that this theory is so wildly convoluted and abstract that it’s just not plausible. It’s also undercooked, as if someone was trying to start a conspiracy, but got tired after the first few sentences and gave up.
Diddy Had Underground Tunnels
Diddy conspiracies have been so far-reaching that they’ve even been connected to the dead. Shortly after Diddy’s arrest, TikTok users began a bizarre theory that claimed the Bad Boy mogul had a secret tunnel to Michael Jackson’s Los Angeles mansion. These rumors were spurred by earlier “reports” that authorities discovered tunnels on Diddy’s properties. However, back in March 2024, a CNN rep explained that a supposed network graphic documenting the tunnels was fabricated, and Reuters conducted their own fact-check confirming this was fake news. And yet, the claims were resurrected—and expanded upon—following Diddy’s indictment.
Politicians Were Frequent “Freak Off” Attendees
At the center of the indictment are details about the alleged “Freak Off” parties Diddy used to orchestrate. These events, which were first detailed in Cassie’s civil lawsuit, were essentially orgies with sex workers for which Diddy coerced victims into participating.
In light of all these allegations, former Diddy bodyguard Eugene Deal has offered up his own recounting of the events. According to him, entertainers aren’t the only people set to catch heat for their involvement at these alleged Diddy sex parties. "I don't think it's only celebrities that's gonna be shook,” said Deal. “He had politicians in there. He also had a couple of princes in there."
"It’s difficult to know how to approach someone like Eugene. He has some credibility but has been a regular on The Art of Dialogue for years, often sharing increasingly out there conspiracy theories.
Justin Bieber Made a Song About Being Abused by Diddy
Following Diddy’s indictment, footage of Justin Bieber’s somewhat awkward earlier career interactions with the Bad Boy founder went viral on social media. The implication—that an underaged Bieber was a victim of Diddy’s abuse—was clear, even if Bieber himself hasn’t spoken on the matter. However, videos like these, as well as tabloid stories focused on Bieber, made it easier for many to believe a purported Bieber song with subliminal messages about Diddy. In the track, someone or something sings, “Lost myself at a Diddy party, didn’t know that’s how it go, I was in it for a new Ferrari, but it cost me way more than my soul, wasn’t worth all the fortune and fame.”
While it was an easy narrative for fans to run with, AI experts explained to CBS that tools they used determined that the song was, in all likelihood, a complete fake made with no help from Justin Bieber.
Diddy’s Arrest Is a Deliberate Distraction From Federal Laws Being Passed
As was the case with Bill Cosby, some people erroneously believe that Diddy’s downfall—or at least the timing of it—is tied to deeper political motives. One of them is Dr. Umar, who used a social media post to suggest that the government arrested Diddy to distract the Black population from laws they’re trying to pass.
"The reason they decided to serve up Sean 'Puffy' Combs is they wanna distract you from the laws they are passing. They wanna distract you from the policies that they are enacting. They wanna distract you from the initiatives that they are implementing,” said Dr. Umar. “This is a distraction. And because they know Black people love to see Black people disgraced, humiliated and destroyed…they said, ‘Throw them one of their own. Let’s lynch another negro today.’”
Similar to theories around the aforementioned Cosby case, this one is pretty ridiculous and not really attached to the reality on how investigations work.
This Is All Payback for a Liquor Company Diddy Is Suing
Count Uncle Luke as someone who thinks there are ulterior motives for Diddy’s mountain of legal and public relations troubles. In a March Instagram Live session, the 2 Live Crew frontman claimed that Diddy was being targeted because he tried to sue Diageo (owner of Ciroc) for racial discrimination last year.
“When you get your billions, and they put you on a pedestal, that’s because they put you up on a pedestal,” the Florida rapper explained. “They made you the guy. They place you on every network. They sold you to all y’all on here. […] They put you up on a pedestal because they need you. It’s like some pimp shit.”
It’s a theory that Diddy foe 50 Cent has also floated. During an interview with Earn Your Leisure at Invest Fest in September, he insinuates that the Diageo lawsuit Diddy filed sped up developments.
"These people have very strong relationships. Don't think that the civil case doesn't turn into a criminal case faster because he's making them uncomfortable. That's a big part of it."
Usher and Pink Deleted a Bunch of Tweets That Connected Them to Diddy
Back in September, fans were racing to make any connections they could between Diddy and just about any other celebrity that crossed their mind—especially if they happened to be within range of the mogul and a camera at any point over the past 20 years. So when fans noticed a seemingly sudden deletion of Pink’s social media posts, they began speculating that she had deleted them in order to erase any connection to Diddy. For her part, the singer used her Instagram account to dismiss the rumor: "I don’t know why I became a headline this week, but I wiped my Twitter account on February 6!!! There is no truth to the rumors spread this week, and while I've met people in passing, I'm not associated with any of the people mentioned." Usher was also subjected to such a rumor after his X posts were deleted, but he claimed that he was hacked and his posts were brought back after he got control of his account again.
Suge Knight Claims Industry Conditioned Diddy to Be An Abuser
While the idea of the music industry permitting and facilitating widespread abuse doesn’t feel all that far-fetched, Suge Knight himself made some specific claims about that system as it relates to Diddy. Speaking to NewsNation from behind bars, Knight claimed that industry legend Clive Davis had corrupted Diddy with drugs, and that Diddy’s potential abuse at the hands of other industry figures played a role in him becoming an abuser.
A rep for Davis denies the claim: “This is a completely fabricated thread that is being trafficked by an incarcerated felon. Mr. Knight’s assertions about Clive Davis are 100 percent false as nothing of the sort ever happened. Clive is a mentor to artists and, in keeping with this, never ever condoned any such inappropriate behavior.”
Kim Porter’s “Autobiography”
With Diddy under fire, plenty of people paid extra attention to a memoir supposedly composed of journal entries from his late ex-wife, Kim Porter. The book was allegedly pieced together from information on a hard drive left by Porter. The man behind the book is Todd Christopher Guzze, who wrote it under the very curious pseudonym Jamal T. Millwood. It includes details of Diddy’s allegedly illicit parties and stories of Diddy’s purported abuse against Porter. The book states that Porter saw Diddy have sex with a young boy, which only reinforced theories people already had about the mogul’s activities.
The book purports to have Porter as source material, but her children—Quincy, Christian, Jessie and D’Lila—have denied the claims: “Claims that our mom wrote a book are simply untrue. She did not, and anyone claiming to have a manuscript is misrepresenting themselves. Any so-called ‘friend’ speaking on behalf of our mom or her family is not a friend, nor do they have her best interests at heart.” Al B. Sure!, who is the father of Quincy, also sent out a cease and desist letter to Amazon and the publisher of the book. (Amazon and Barnes & Noble have since removed the book from their inventory. )
For his part, Guzze has remained defiant, telling The Art Of Dialogue, “Al doesn’t have the flash drive."