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Combs Denounces 'Shameful Hit Piece'

Music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs has strongly criticised Netflix's upcoming documentary series 'Sean Combs: The Reckoning', calling it a "shameful hit piece" built on "stolen footage that was never authorised for release," a spokesperson for the artist said, reported Variety. The statement was issued a day before the docuseries launches globally on Netflix.

In the newly released teaser for the show, Combs is seen on a phone call, reportedly recorded six days before his 2024 arrest. The call later became part of a wider set of legal proceedings that saw him convicted of transportation to engage in prostitution. However, he was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges. According to the footage included in the teaser, Combs is heard saying, "We need to find someone who will work with us who has worked in the dirtiest of dirty businesses. We are losing."

Netflix Defends Footage Acquisition

When reached for comment on the allegation of stolen footage, a Netflix representative directed Variety to a quote from docuseries director Alexandria Stapleton. "It came to us, we obtained the footage legally and have the necessary rights," she said. "We moved heaven and earth to keep the filmmaker's identity confidential. One thing about Sean Combs is that he's always filming himself, and it's been an obsession throughout the decades. We also reached out to Sean Combs' legal team for an interview and comment multiple times, but did not hear back," as quoted by Variety.

Combs' Rep Argues Footage Lacks Context

Combs' spokesperson argued that the footage had been taken out of context and was part of an extensive archive the artist has preserved since the age of 19 to craft his own narrative. Combs' rep said that Combs "has been amassing footage since he was 19 to tell his own story, in his own way," but that Netflix is using his words out of context. The statement also name-checks Ted Sarandos multiple times, saying Combs has "long respected" the Netflix CEO and that he "expected fairness from people he respected."

Criticism Over 50 Cent's Involvement

Additionally, the rep wrote that 50 Cent is "a longtime adversary with a personal vendetta who has spent too much time slandering Mr Combs" and that it is "staggering that Netflix handed creative control" to him. 50 Cent's highly anticipated docu-series about Sean "Diddy" Combs titled 'Sean Combs: The Reckoning' premieres on December 2, according to Variety.

About the Docuseries

As per the official synopsis, the series "is a staggering examination of the media mogul, music legend and convicted offender. Born with an insatiable drive for stardom and a knack for spotting talent, Combs made a quick ascent through the ranks of the music industry with Bad Boy Entertainment and was crucial in bringing hip-hop to the pop masses and launching the careers of dozens of generation-defining artists like The Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Jodeci and Danity Kane."

The synopsis added, "But along the way, and as detailed by his former associates, childhood friends, artists and employees, something darker began to colour his ambitions. Through explosive, never-before-seen materials, including exclusive interviews with those formerly in his orbit, this documentary tells the story of a powerful, enterprising man and the gilded empire he built -- and the underworld that lay just beneath its surface," according to Variety. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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