Netflix Stands Their Ground Amid Diddy's Theft Claims Of 50 Cent-Promoted Docuseries

Netflix has broken its silence after Diddy's rep accused the streaming platform of stealing the footage used in a new docuseries.

The media giant teamed up with the disgraced music mogul's longtime adversary, 50 Cent, to release "Sean Combs: The Reckoning" on Tuesday, December 2. The docuseries follows Diddy's downfall and his mental breakdown just days before his September 2024 arrest.

Diddy slammed the show as a "shameful hit piece," accusing Netflix of stealing the footage used in the docuseries and berating them for collaborating with someone who openly disliked him. However, all parties involved have denied the theft and vindictive allegations.

Following the heated statement from Diddy's spokesman, Juda Engelmayer, Netflix immediately issued a rebuttal. The media giant shut down the theft allegations in a statement, stressing that "the claims being made about 'Sean Combs: The Reckoning' are false."

"The project has no ties to any past conversations between Sean Combs and Netflix," the statement continued, referencing the claims of Netflix's CEO Ted Sarandos knowing about Diddy's plans to release a documentary with the footage used in the new docuseries.

As for how the streaming platform got hold of these clips, Netflix claimed "the footage of Combs leading up to his indictment and arrest was legally obtained." The BBC reported that the organization also shut down allegations of working with 50 Cent for vindictive purposes, noting the show was "not a hit piece or an act of retribution."

Diddy's distaste for the docuseries might stem from more than just the theft allegations. The program, promoted as a "staggering examination" of his life and career, featured every scathing allegation leveled against him.

The list includes claims of his involvement in the 1996 murder of Hip-Hop icon Tupac Shakur. The docuseries featured tapes of former gang member Duane "Keffe D" Davis's interview with the police, where he alleged that Diddy had offered him $1 million to kill Shakur.

Kirk Burrowes, who co-founded Bad Boy Entertainment with Diddy, echoed similar sentiments in the docuseries. Burrowes confessed that he believed the incarcerated rapper "had a lot to do with the death of Tupac." The show also covered the sexual assault and abuse allegations against Diddy.

The Blast recently covered Diddy's reaction to the Netflix docuseries, reporting that his spokesman had slammed the streaming platform and 50 Cent for using "stolen footage that was never authorized for release."

The representative, Engelmayer, argued that Netflix and its CEO were aware that Diddy had been amassing footage since he was 19 to create a documentary about his life. He stressed that Diddy wished to tell his story in his own words, but 50 Cent and Netflix robbed him of the opportunity.

"It is fundamentally unfair, not to mention illegal, for Netflix to misappropriate that work," Engelmayer continued. The rep added that it was wrong for the media giant to work with 50 Cent, knowing fully well he had "a personal vendetta" against Diddy.

Before Netflix responded to Diddy's rep, the docuseries' director, Alexandria Stapleton, shut down the theft allegations in a statement. She denied using illegal means to obtain the footage used in the program, stressing that they had the "necessary rights."

"We moved heaven and earth to keep the filmmaker's identity confidential," Stapleton explained. She pointed out that it was no secret that Diddy enjoyed filming himself, describing it as "an obsession throughout the decades;" however, her team still tried to get him on board.

Stapleton claimed they had repeatedly contacted Diddy's legal team for an interview and comments on the docuseries, but they never got a response. Regarding 50 Cent's participation in the program as the executive producer, he noted that he did so because he could not stay silent about Diddy's crimes.

According to CNN, Netflix received a cease-and-desist letter from Diddy's legal team on the eve of the docuseries' debut. The legal notice threatened the streaming platform with a lawsuit, with the attorneys citing the rapper's willingness to fight media entities.

"Mr. Combs has not hesitated to take legal action against media entities and others who violate his rights, and he will not hesitate to do so against Netflix," the cease-and-desist letter read in part. Diddy once filed a $100 million defamation suit against NBCUniversal for the documentary, "Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy."

The embattled rapper's spokesman, Engelmayer, also told the outlet that Diddy's team would go into the docuseries blind because 50 Cent and Netflix did not offer them a preview. He also doubled down on the footage being an unauthorized clip from Diddy's efforts to release his own documentary.

Will Diddy file a lawsuit against Netflix and 50 Cent for the allegedly stolen footage?