Netflix’s Diddy documentary sparks legal threats over ‘unseen video’ and 50 Cent’s role

The new Netflix docuseries features unseen footage recorded days before Diddy’s arrest, prompting fresh legal threats and a public clash with 50 Cent.

Netflix’s upcoming docuseries Sean Combs: The Reckoning is already facing legal pushback, with Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyers sending a cease-and-desist letter demanding the streamer halt its release. The four-part documentary, executive-produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, has quickly become one of the platform’s most talked-about titles.

The trailer includes previously unreleased footage of Combs filmed just six days before his 2024 arrest, showing him discussing his mounting legal troubles. The documentary has become one of Netflix’s most searched titles ahead of its launch, driven by questions about how the footage was obtained and why 50 Cent took on a documentary about an artist he has openly clashed with for years.

When Sean Combs: The Reckoning comes out on Netflix

Sean Combs: The Reckoning will be released globally on Netflix on 2 December as a four-part docuseries.

Combs’ team claims Netflix used “stolen” footage

The dispute centres on footage featured in Netflix’s official trailer. Combs’ spokesperson Juda Engelmayer said the video was part of the rapper’s decades-long effort to document his own life and was “never authorised for release”. He called the project a “shameful hit piece”, accusing Netflix of using “stolen footage”.

Director Alexandria Stapleton rejects the claim. She said the filmmaking team obtained the clips legally and had “the necessary rights”. She added that Combs’ legal team was contacted multiple times for an interview or comment but did not respond.

A documentary shaped by a turbulent year

Sean Combs: The Reckoning examines the rapper’s rise, influence and the allegations that have surrounded him for years. The series features interviews with former Bad Boy insiders and Making the Band alumni, including Aubrey O’Day, Bad Boy co-founder Kirk Burrowes and former LAPD detective Greg Kading, alongside several figures who have accused Combs of misconduct. Many are speaking publicly for the first time.

The project also includes footage recorded in the days before Combs’ arrest at a New York hotel in September 2024, when he was under federal investigation.

Combs was later acquitted of racketeering and sex-trafficking charges but convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He is serving a 50-month federal prison sentence, which he is currently appealing.

50 Cent’s role and decades of tension

The docuseries has also revived attention on the longstanding tensions between Combs and 50 Cent. Jackson recently told NBC News that his involvement was driven by concern that silence within hip-hop could create the impression that “everyone is comfortable” with Combs’ alleged actions. He has continued to post about Combs on social media, prompting Combs’ team to describe him as a “longtime adversary with a vendetta”.

What happens next

Combs’ lawyers have warned Netflix that they are prepared to pursue further legal action if the documentary airs. Netflix has not indicated any change to its release plans.

With Netflix standing firm and Combs’ team escalating their challenge, the documentary is set to debut under intense public and legal scrutiny.

Aasiya Nazir