Janice Combs, the mother of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, has spoken out following the release of 50 Cent’s controversial documentary on Netflix.

“I feel compelled to address the falsehoods presented in the Netflix documentary Sean Combs: The Reckoning, which premiered on December 2, 2025,” Janice, now 85, stated in a letter to Deadline on Saturday, December 6. “The misleading portrayal of my son Sean’s childhood and family life appears to be a deliberate attempt to deceive the audience and tarnish our family’s reputation.”

Janice, who was a constant presence at her son’s lengthy trial earlier this year, criticized Netflix for resorting to sensationalism in order to boost viewership. (Diddy was taken into custody in September 2024 on charges including sex trafficking, racketeering, and facilitating prostitution. He has consistently denied all allegations. Ultimately, he was convicted on two counts related to transporting individuals for prostitution but was cleared of sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Diddy is currently serving a 50-month sentence, steadfast in his claim of innocence.)

“The assertion made by Kirk Burrows that my son assaulted me during a conversation following the tragic events at City College on December 28, 1991, is utterly false,” Janice stated emphatically. “It was a profoundly sorrowful day for all of us.”

Since the arrest of Sean “Diddy” Combs in September 2024, the allegations against him have been the subject of two documentaries as of January 2025. The first, Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy, was released on Peacock on January 14. This 90-minute feature includes interviews with childhood friends and former colleagues of the music icon. […]

A portion of the documentary focused on a deadly basketball game at City College, in which Diddy promoted at the time, that left nine people dead and another 30 injured.

“For him to use this tragedy and incorporate fake narratives to further his prior failed and current attempt to gain what was never his, Bad Boy Records is wrong, outrageous and past offensive,” Janice added.

Us Weekly has reached out to Netflix and 50 Cent’s team for comment.

On December 28, 1991, nine people were crushed after people attempted to crash the gates and enter a charity basketball game promoted by Diddy at City College in New York City. Several rappers were in attendance at the game, and according to reports at the time, some fans still pushed ahead in an attempt to obtain autographs from their favorite performers — even after it was obvious people had been hurt and killed.

Netflix began streaming the four-part docuseries Sean Combs: The Reckoning on Tuesday, December 2. The docuseries, produced by 50 Cent, follows Diddy’s rise in the music industry and also features interviews with childhood friends, ex-associates and former employees who all shed light on what they claim they saw, experienced and who they believe he is as a person.

“I’ve been committed to real storytelling for years through G-Unit Film and Television,” 50 Cent previously said in a statement to Tudum. “I’m grateful to everyone who came forward and trusted us with their stories and proud to have Alexandria Stapleton as the director on the project to bring this important story to the screen.”

On December 1, Diddy and his legal team sent a cease and desist letter to Netflix prior to the release of the documentary, along with a statement in which the disgraced rap mogul described the docuseries as a “hit piece.”

“As Netflix and CEO Ted Sarandos know, Mr. Combs has been amassing footage since he was 19 to tell his own story, in his own way,” the statement also read. “It is fundamentally unfair, and illegal, for Netflix to misappropriate that work.”

Diddy also condemned the streamer’s partnership with 50 Cent, real name Curtis Jackson, for giving “creative control” to the rapper, who Diddy and his legal team claim have “a longtime adversary with a personal vendetta who has spent too much time slandering Mr. Combs.”

Sean “Diddy” Combs and his mom, Janice Smalls Combs, have had a tight-knit bond throughout his life. “My mother was always working for a job, so I guess I was always trained that I should have multiple jobs, multiple aspirations,” Diddy said in a 2010 interview with  Nightline. “And I remember she had multiple aspirations, […]

A Netflix spokesperson responded to Diddy and his legal team’s claims via a statement to Us, calling their descriptions of the docuseries as “false.”

“The project has no ties to any past conversations between Sean Combs and Netflix,” a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement to Us on Tuesday, December 2. “The footage of Combs leading up to his indictment and arrest were legally obtained. This is not a hit piece or an act of retribution. Curtis Jackson [50 Cent] is an executive producer but does not have creative control. No one was paid to participate.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).