On the morning of November 22 Sean “Diddy” Combs entered a New York courtroom for a preliminary hearing. Dressed in prison khakis, the rapper’s face “lit up” when he spotted his family members sitting in the second row, an eyewitness said. Guided 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 was smiling, waving, blowing them kisses and saying ‘I love you,'” the eyewitness said. Us Weeklyadding that the music mogul appeared to be in good spirits.
Not for long. Five days later, Didi’s bail application was rejected for the third time. He spent Thanksgiving behind bars — and now he’s ready to celebrate Christmas while locked up at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center. The 55-year-old rapper was arrested and charged on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering on September 16, and he pleaded not guilty the next day. (His is a scheduled process to begin in May 2025) More than 20 civil lawsuits have been filed against him since his arrest, and he denies all charges.
It will be a Christmas unlike any other for Didi, marked by loneliness and without the usual luxuries. “He’s trying to stay positive,” a source told the latter Us Weekly cover story. Over the years, founder Sean John has been surrounded by famous friends and loved ones, including his mother and children (he’s father to Quincy, 33, Justin, 30, Christian, 26, Chance, 18, twins D’Lila and Jesse , who turn 18 on December 21 and 2-year-old Lyubov). The source adds: “The holidays will be especially difficult for the family without their father.”
Mixed emotions
It’s not very festive in the cement halls of MDC this time of year. “There are no decorations,” says the federal prison consultant Sam Mangelnoting that contraband and anything with sharp edges or pins is prohibited in the facility. Visitors are welcome to the celebration, but the stay is short — Mangel says it usually lasts 30 minutes to an hour — and is limited to four people at a time. Phone calls are limited to 15 minutes. “When their family leaves, prisoners become very solemn,” says Mangel. “It’s getting very depressing.” Ex-prisoner Brad Rousewho spent some time at MDC between 2008 and 2009. and now works as a mentor, helping the accused and their families, he says us that Christmas was particularly difficult for fathers with young children at home. “The holidays were more painful for them,” he says, adding: “It’s a very tough, tough place.”
Prisoners are given several breaks. Mangel says staff gives inmates time in the enclosed recreation yard to play sports tournaments and they are free to enjoy dominoes, chess and card games. Religious services are usually offered and televisions are on and tuned to major sporting events. There can be a sense of camaraderie. “It wasn’t easy being in prison during the holidays,” says Rouse, “but we were all in it together.” (He recalls an inmate drawing personalized holiday greeting cards featuring sketches of Santa Claus or their children to send them to their families in exchange for cans of mackerel.) Another ex-convict, who was incarcerated in the 1990s and early 2000s, agrees that the mood is lighter, at least for a while. “Everybody gives a pass these days,” he says us. “Like, if someone’s going to get hurt, don’t do it on Christmas Day. Wait until tomorrow, you understand?
Sean “Diddy” Combs Hit 2023 with a bang, ringing in the new year with his then-girlfriend Yung Miami and celebrity friends aboard a $117 million, 278-foot superyacht cruising the Caribbean waters of St. Barts. At midnight, the hip-hop mogul poured golden bottles of Ace of Spades champagne on the deck of the luxury (…)
The inmate recalls receiving a goody bag at Christmas filled with things like Reese’s candy, coffee and powdered drink mixes. “When everyone was locked in their cells, they would carry bags on a pushcart and hand them out,” he says, adding, “It was cool. It really felt like a gift.” For about 10 days before and after Christmas, the prison commissary brought special items, including pepperoni and provolone cheese, that inmates tried to collect as currency. Mangel says the inmates do something called “FOGU” with the candy they get. “It’s like candy and cookie mash, and then they put some water or milk in it and squish it into a ball and it’s their version of a little holiday treat.”
Mangel predicts that Didi may eat his holiday meal with another famous inmate Sam Bankman-Fried, the crypto tycoon who was convicted of fraud and is housed in the same unit. “I think they’ll probably eat together and discuss what part of the world they were in last year with their families,” he says. “They are from a higher socioeconomic background before they come there. So they can remember (about) which island they were on last year.
Hanging
On the outside, Diddy’s family is doing their best to stay strong. On November 4, Quincy, Justin, Christian, Jessie, D’Lila and Chance posted a video on their Instagram accounts showing them in conversation with their father, who could be heard on the loudspeaker as Love sang “Happy Birthday”. The source says the older boys took care of the younger children and that the family “believes in Didi’s innocence and that he will be exonerated.”
Janice, the source notes, has been there emotionally for her grandchildren, who are being cared for by a close family friend in Florida. “Diddy’s mom is based in Los Angeles, but she was visiting.” She was also part of the vacation planning, trying to keep things festive for the kids. “The family will honor (Diddy) at Christmas,” the source added, “they’re trying to talk to him as much as they can.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs was seen sending kisses and smiles to his family during his latest bail hearing on Friday, November 22. Us Weekly was in the courtroom in New York as the rapper, 55, showed affection for his mother Janice Combs and six children: Justin, 30, Christian, 26, Quincy Brown, 33, Chance, 18 d., and twins (…)
Didi is focused on his defense but the hits keep coming. During his Nov. 22 hearing, prosecutors alleged that he tried to obstruct his case by organizing social media campaigns aimed at tainting jurors; they include redacted notes that were discovered during a prison inspection and claim he “contacted witnesses through third parties” and used other inmates’ phone accounts. Didi denied the allegations, and his attorneys argued that seizing the notes violated attorney-client privilege.
At the end of November, a fashion designer Brian Bongolan filed a claim he hung her up from a 17th-floor balcony while threatening to kill her in 2016. And on December 8, his longtime friend Jay Z was named in a lawsuit in October in which a woman alleged that the two rappers raped her in 2000. Didi has denied all the allegations. “He’s lining up character witnesses and people who can speak for him,” the source said. “This is the most difficult period in Didi’s life, but he is not giving up on himself.”
For more on Diddy, watch the exclusive video above and get the latest issue of Us Weekly — already on newsstands.
With reporting by Travis Cronin, Molly McGuigan, Andrea Simpson and Amanda Williams
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