Tanika Ray, Dancer for Diddy, Shares She Always Stayed Clear of Him

Tanika Ray, who was formerly a backup dancer for Diddy, claimed to have experienced a ‘horrific’ incident while in his employ in the mid-1990s in an Instagram post from Wednesday.

The former Extra host, 52, made the admission after seeing the journalist and TV commentator Touré, 53, reveal on Joy Reid’s MSNBC show that he was at one time on good enough terms with Diddy to ask the record label head to hire his relative as an intern.

However, he went on to claim that the rapper subsequently fired the male family member after allegedly asking him to spend the night with him.

The new claims involving Diddy (real name: Sean Combs) come after Homeland Security agents raided both his Miami and Los Angeles mansions on Monday in what is reportedly related to a ‘sex trafficking probel.

In a caption to her reaction video, Ray wrote: ‘I just knew to avoid [Diddy] at all costs…

Tanika Ray, who was formerly a backup dancer for Diddy, claimed to have experienced a ‘horrific’ incident while in his employ in the mid-1990s in an Instagram post from Wednesday; seen in West Hollywood in May 2022

In a caption to her reaction video, Ray wrote: ‘I just knew to avoid [Diddy] at all costs…’; Diddy pictured in January 2020 in Beverly Hills

She referenced an allegedly ‘horrific’ incident involving the 54-year-old rap mogul that happened in 1996, though she refrained from including specifics

‘Yes, I danced for him and kept my space. I interviewed him for his projects and kept my space,’ she continued. ‘Nothing that is happening is surprising.’

During Touré’s appearance on Joy Reid’s program, he claimed of Diddy that ‘I know this man well enough to call him and say, “Hey, I need a favor.”‘  

‘This might have been 10 or 12 years ago that I called him and said, “Hey, I have a family member, who I want you to hire them as an intern.’ And he said, “Yes,”‘ he claimed.

However, the job that could have seemingly helped Touré’s family member get a photo into the entertainment industry mysteriously dried up after only ‘three or four months.’

Touré said he quizzed his family member about what had happened and why the internship had ended so abruptly, but they allegedly refused to speak about the matter.

But the journalist went on to claim that ‘years later, they finally came out — and this is a male — and said that Puff had said, “Come home. Stay the night with me or the internship is over.”‘

He added that his family member claimed they told Diddy ‘absolutely not’ in response to the inappropriate request.

‘And the internship ended,’ he said. 

Something about Touré’s story spoke to Ray, and she reposted a clip of the video before sharing her own video on Instagram addressing her time working for Diddy.

During Touré’s appearance on Joy Reid’s program, he claimed of Diddy that ‘I know this man well enough to call him and say, “Hey, I need a favor”‘

‘This might have been 10 or 12 years ago that I called him and said, “Hey, I have a family member, who I want you to hire them as an intern.’ And he said, “Yes,”‘ he said

The internship ended after only a few months and the family member wouldn’t say why. But Touré claimed that ‘years later, they finally came out — and this is a male — and said that Puff had said, “Come home. Stay the night with me or the internship is over”‘; Diddy seen in 2022

‘You know, we all have stories,’ Ray said while filming herself in closeup after letting Touré’s story play out. ‘Seriously, we all have stories.’

‘Mine is horrific and only five people know it, and I probably will never tell it,’ she continued.

‘But since then, I’ve been like, “Yup,”‘ she added.

Ray added text over her video in which she wrote that her ‘besties’ would never tell her story involving Diddy unless she came forward herself first.

But she was weary about coming forward, as she expected to be ‘victimized’ repeatedly if she did so.

Ray mused about one day writing a book about her experiences in Hollywood, but she blasted critics who complain about women not coming forward sooner about their negative experiences with powerful men.

‘We just want to live,’ she said defiantly. 

‘We want to be happy, and we really just want to forget the trauma. So, there’s that,’ Ray added. 

In her caption, Ray explained how she tried to keep her distance from Diddy in subsequent years, even as her jobs kept her near his orbit.

‘Yes I danced for him and kept my space. I was on the Vote or die airplane and kept my space. I interviewed him for his projects and kept my space,’ she wrote. ‘Nothing that is happening is surprising.’

She urged women to ‘keep space’ and to focusing on their healing.

‘Shame on all those men that let this continue,’ she continued, while acknowledging a critique she was likely to receive: ‘Shame on me maybe for prioritizing my mental health some would say. 

‘But after working in a place that snatches souls… mine is intact and of the light. I saved myself,’ she added.

‘Now if someone needs to pile on my story, give me a call. But I think Cassie got it!!’ she concluded, referring to the singer Cassie, who had dated Diddy in the past.

Cassie (real name Cassandra Ventura) sued Combs for rape on November 16, 2023, claiming he abused her, plied her with drugs and filmed her having sex with male prostitutes while they dated from 2005 to 2019.

Diddy was adamant in his denials of his ex’s claims, but he settled the lawsuit just one day after it was filed for an undisclosed sum. 

While the case was quickly settled and dismissed, it preceded a slew of similar lawsuits targeting the rapper, his entourage and his billion-dollar business empire.

Joi Dickerson-Neal, another accuser, claims Combs slipped something into her drink and sexually assaulted her in 1991 while she was a student at Syracuse University. She alleges that he filmed the attack and shared the video with his social circle.

Another Jane Doe alleges that she and a friend were raped by Combs and his friend, the singer–songwriter Aaron Hall, in the early 1990s.

A fourth lawsuit takes aim at Diddy’s close friend Harve Pierre, alleging that he used his influence at Bad Boy Records to groom and sexually assault a former assistant.

‘Enough is enough,’ Diddy wrote in a statement denying all of the accusations. ‘For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy. Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday.

‘Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family for the truth.’ 

After Touré’s video, Ray filmed her own clip and said ‘We all have stories,’ presumably referring to people in Diddy’s orbit. ‘Mine is horrific and only five people know it, and I probably will never tell it,’ she claimed

In response to critics who complain about women not coming forward sooner with stories of abuse, she noted that they would be repeatedly victimized, adding, ‘We just want to live; seen in 2019 in Burbank

Ray concluded by referencing Diddy’s ex, the singer Cassie, who sued him for sexual assault and settled after just one day; pictured in September 2023 in Newark, New Jersey

After his homes in Miami (pictured) and LA were raided on Monday, Diddy’s attorney claimed he was the victim of a witch hunt

A fifth woman whose identity had been kept secret sued the mogul for allegedly sexually assaulting her with two other men when she was only 17.

In February, a judge overseeing the case ruled that the woman will no longer be able to remain anonymous if the case is to proceed.

Following the dual raids on his homes, Diddy’s attorney claimed his client was the victim of a ‘witch hunt’ while claiming he was innocent.

‘There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name,’ his lawyer said.