By Harshit
NEW YORK, DECEMBER 3, 2025, 8 AM EDT
On the eve of Netflix releasing its explosive new docuseries Sean Combs: The Reckoning — produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson — Sean “Diddy” Combs has issued a cease-and-desist letter demanding the project be halted.
In a statement provided to CNN, a spokesperson for Combs accused Netflix of using “stolen footage that was never authorized for release,” calling the series a “shameful hit piece.” The dispute centers on footage shown in Netflix’s official trailer, which dropped Monday morning and features Combs addressing an unidentified team just days before his September 2024 arrest.
“We need to find someone who will work with us who has worked in the dirtiest of dirty businesses,” Combs says in the trailer. “We are losing.”
Combs Claims Netflix Used Unauthorized Footage
According to Combs’ spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer, the footage in question was filmed six days before Combs’ arrest and was part of a decades-long personal documentary archive Combs had been compiling since the age of 19.
“Sean was making his own documentary since he was 19 years old. This footage was commissioned as part of it,” Engelmayer said in a written statement.
Engelmayer added that neither Combs — who is currently serving a four-year federal sentence — nor his legal team received an advance screener of the docuseries. “We will see it tonight,” he said. “Neither Netflix nor Mr. Jackson were kind enough to offer us a screener.”
Combs’ lawyers, in their cease-and-desist letter, accuse Netflix of “misappropriating decades of private work” and warn the company may face legal action if the project proceeds. “Mr. Combs has not hesitated to take legal action against media entities who violate his rights,” the letter states.
Combs has previously filed a $100 million defamation suit against NBCUniversal over its Peacock documentary Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy.
Netflix Says the Footage Was Obtained Legally
In response to the allegations, Netflix pointed to a statement from the docuseries’ director, Alexandra Stapleton, who said the production team had the legal rights to all materials used.
“It came to us. We obtained the footage legally and have the necessary rights,” Stapleton said. She added that the team “moved heaven and earth” to protect the source of the footage and had attempted multiple times to contact Combs’ legal team for participation.
“One thing about Sean Combs is that he’s always filming himself,” Stapleton said. “It’s been an obsession for decades.”
Netflix declined further comment.
Tension Heightens Between Combs and 50 Cent
Adding fuel to the controversy is the involvement of executive producer 50 Cent, whose long and public feud with Combs spans nearly two decades. Combs’ team called it “staggering” that Netflix worked with “a longtime adversary with a personal vendetta who has spent too much time slandering Mr. Combs.”
50 Cent has continued to mock Combs on social media throughout the week, posting multiple jabs and memes tied to the docuseries’ release. Representatives for Jackson have not yet responded to media inquiries.
Legal Challenges Mount for Combs
The docuseries arrives as Combs faces considerable legal pressure on multiple fronts.
In July, a federal judge sentenced the music mogul to 50 months in prison following a two-month trial in which he was convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was acquitted of the more serious charges — sex trafficking and racketeering — which carried potential decades-long sentences.
Combs was initially held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after his September 2024 arrest. He was transferred in late October to FCI Fort Dix, a low-security federal facility in New Jersey. He is currently appealing both his conviction and sentence.
His defense team previously confirmed they approached the Trump administration about the possibility of a presidential pardon.
Beyond the criminal case, Combs also faces approximately 70 civil lawsuits involving allegations of drugging, sexual assault, and abuse dating back decades. Many of the accusers claim they were minors when the alleged incidents occurred. Combs has denied all civil allegations, and several cases have been dismissed.
What Happens Next
Netflix has not indicated any plans to delay or cancel Sean Combs: The Reckoning, which is scheduled to release tonight. If the streaming giant proceeds as planned, Combs’ legal team may pursue immediate action — though the threshold for blocking a documentary’s release on the grounds of footage ownership is high and typically requires a court injunction.
Whether the docuseries becomes a catalyst for further legal battles or serves as a definitive public accounting of Combs’ controversies, its release marks a significant cultural moment — one shaped by longstanding rivalries, unresolved allegations, and the continuing fall of one of hip-hop’s most influential figures.