Leonardo DiCaprio is reportedly staying away from the Hollywood actor after a photo emerged of him at one of the disgraced musician’s infamous “White Parties.”
Combs was arrested on charges of sex trafficking, extortion and sexual assault, among other charges, on Sept. 16. He pleaded not guilty to a three-count indictment, was denied bail and was jailed to await trial.
Combs’ White Parties were lavish events with a white dress code and star-studded guest lists of top music and entertainment figures.
After a photo resurfaced of a young DiCaprio smiling and smoking with Combs and others at a party at the hip-hop legend’s East Hampton home, a source close to DiCaprio said the actor has had nothing to do with Combs “for years.”
DiCaprio has been photographed with Combs more recently at other locations, including the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston.
DiCaprio was seen dancing at Combs’ 50th birthday party in 2019.
In a video interview titled “73 Questions with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs” that he gave to Vogue magazine in 2017, the musician said that he was the “number one” person on the invite list for DiCaprio’s upcoming White Party.
However, a source close to the actor denied the pair were close, telling MailOnline: “Leonardo DiCaprio has absolutely nothing to do with any of this.
“He attended a few of their parties in the early 2000s – but literally everyone attended.”
Speaking to MailOnline, a source said the actor only attends “big house parties”.
“Leo was at the beginning of his career at the time and had left the party life behind,” they said.
“He has no connection to this world, so for anyone to assume he’s involved in this based on a few grainy photos from over 20 years ago is ridiculous.
“Leo is so focused on his career and his relationship that he doesn’t think about Diddy at all because he has nothing to do with his federal case.”
The statement comes after Combs’ former collaborator, singer Justin Bieber, said he didn’t want to focus on Combs’ arrest and was instead focusing on “being a great father and husband.”
Combs, one of the most important producers and most famous names in hip-hop history, was arrested in New York.
He was arrested six months later after authorities raided his homes in Los Angeles and Miami.
The unsealed indictment, which details allegations dating back to 2009, accuses Combs of harassing, threatening and coercing women for years “to satisfy his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct.”
The indictment alleges that Combs was the leader of a criminal organization that engaged in or attempted to engage in sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for the purpose of prostitution, drug offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice.
His attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said outside Manhattan federal court Tuesday that his client was innocent. Combs later pleaded not guilty in court.
“Obviously, he’s going to fight this with all his energy, with all his strength and with the full confidence of his lawyers,” Mr. Agnifilo said. “And I expect a long fight with a good outcome for Mr. Combs.”
The indictment states that Combs drugged the victims to keep them “submissive and compliant” and used his “power and prestige” to “intimidate, threaten and lure” women into his orbit, “often under the pretense of a romantic relationship.”
According to prosecutors, he exerted control over his victims by promising them career opportunities, providing or threatening to withhold financial support, dictating how they looked, monitoring their health records and controlling where they lived.
The hip-hop mogul has faced a series of allegations in recent months from women who have accused him of sexual assault, although details of the accusations have not been previously disclosed by prosecutors.
“He is a flawed person but not guilty,” Agnifilo said.
Combs, then known as Puff Daddy, was at the center of the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop wars of the 1990s as the partner and producer of Notorious B.I.G., who was shot and killed in 1997.
But like many survivors of that era, his public image softened as he aged, becoming a businessman, caring father and party-goer in Hollywood and the Hamptons.
But a different picture began to emerge in November, when his former bodyguard and girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, became one of the first to file a sexual harassment lawsuit against him, with stories of sex workers routinely being coerced or tricked into having sex at drug-ridden “Freak Offs.”
Cassie alleged in a lawsuit filed in November that the abuse she suffered over the years included beatings and rape.
The lawsuit also alleged that Combs engaged in sex trafficking by “soliciting Plaintiff to engage in sexual acts in multiple jurisdictions” and “harboring and transporting Plaintiff for the purpose of compelling her to engage in sexual intercourse through force, fraud or coercion.”
It is also rumored that Combs forced Cassie to help him in his trade of male sex workers, and that Combs forced Cassie to have sex with him during filming.
The case was settled the next day, but in May, CNN leaked footage of him punching, kicking, and throwing Cassie to the ground in a hotel hallway.
The next day, Combs posted a video on social media apologizing, saying, “I was disgusted when I did it” and “I’m disgusted now.”
At least half a dozen other lawsuits were filed in the months following Cassie’s.
In February, a music producer filed a lawsuit alleging that Combs forced him to meet with prostitutes and pressured him into having sex with them.
Another of Combs’ accusers was a woman who said the rapper raped her 20 years ago, when she was 17.
In the months following Cassie’s case, at least half a dozen more lawsuits were filed.
In February, a music producer filed a lawsuit alleging that Combs forced him to recruit prostitutes and pressure him into having sex with them. Another accuser of Combs is a woman who says the rapper raped her two decades ago when she was 17.