In the new docu-series “The Fall of Diddy,” the Danity Kane member reveals the verbally abusive work environment the music mogul created.
Sean “Diddy” Combs is currently behind bars facing sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution charges. In addition to the federal charges, the music mogul is also facing a number of abuse allegations as more and more people speak out on their alleged experiences interacting with Combs.
Most recently, former Danity Kane member D. Woods has broken her silence about her experience being a part of the mogul’s musical girl group. In an interview with ABC News, Woods, who also appears in the new docuseries “The Fall of Diddy,” opened up about Combs’ “predatory” behavior.
Comparing it to “somebody constantly treating you like a piece of meat, only seeing, only valuing you for your sex appeal,” Woods told ABC. “In some of the environments, it was even scary to be by yourself.”
“He did it in different ways with all of us, picking and prodding, just a way to chip and knock away and then praise you,” she added.
Woods was one of five members of the early 2000s girl group Danity Kane, which Combs helped form on MTV’s “Making the Band.” While the group was topping musical charts, Woods says that behind the scenes, Combs created a “verbally abusive” professional environment. Feeling powerless, Woods explained how the group’s members could really only confide in one another about their experiences due to Combs’ authority and star power. When asked why the former Danity Kane star hadn’t come forward sooner, she explained that she used to looked up to him because of his persona and didn’t want to believe he was this other person.
“You know, he is looked at as a hero of our community, and myself included, I looked up to him too. So a lot of people don’t want to believe that their hero can be this other person,” Woods explained. “I would say that…now is a time where I feel like my experience, my truth will really be heard and actually considered and believed.”
As previously reported by theGrio, federal prosecutors claim that Combs ““engaged in a persistent and pervasive pattern of abuse toward women and other individuals,” including physical violence, in order “to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.” However, the music mogul’s attorneys continue to deny the allegations presented by the courts and in documentaries like “The Fall of Diddy.”
“These documentaries are rushing to cash in on the media circus surrounding Mr. Combs. The producers failed to provide sufficient time or details for his representatives to address unsubstantiated claims, many from unidentified participants whose allegations lack context. By withholding this information, they made it impossible for Mr. Combs to present facts to counter these fabricated accusations,” Combs’ attorneys said in a statement, per People magazine. “This production is clearly intended to present a one-sided and prejudicial narrative. As we’ve said before, Mr. Combs cannot respond to every publicity stunt or facially ridiculous claim. He has full confidence in the facts and the judicial process, where the truth will prevail: the accusations against him are pure fiction.”
“The Fall of Diddy” can now be streamed on Max.
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