Issuing an official statement following the allegations leveled at the hip-hop mogul, the Recording Academy assures that they are 'taking this matter very seriously.'
- Dec 12, 2023
AceShowbiz - The Recording Academy has issued an official statement on Sean "P. Diddy" Combs' possible attendance at the upcoming Grammy Awards amid his serious legal issues. The music organization confirms that it's "evaluating" an invite to the rapper after he was hit with sexual assault lawsuits by multiple women.
"We are taking this matter very seriously and we are in the process of evaluating it with the time and care that it deserves," the Recording Academy said in the statement to RadarOnline.com on Monday, December 11. A spokesperson for the organization later clarified that they were only talking about his invitation and not his nomination.
Diddy is nominated in the category Best Progressive R&B Album for his latest effort "The Love Album: Off the Grid" at the ceremony which will be held on February 4, 2024 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Prior to the statement, The Mirror reported that several officials within the Academy are trying to get the Bad Boy Records founder removed from the guest list as a number of celebrities have requested to not be seated near him. A so-called music insider told the U.K. news outlet earlier this month, "The formal invitations go out this month. There's conflict at the academy as several voting members do not think it would be appropriate to invite Diddy."
"Some, including several high profile African-American members, fear that inviting him sends the wrong message to audiences and the charities it supports," the informant spilled. "Several publicists have asked that their artists aren't seated by him. It's a logistical nightmare."
It came after Diddy was accused of sexual assault by several women, including his ex Cassie. In the suit filed in November, she accused the rapper of rape, abuse and sex trafficking during their on-off relationship from 2007 to 2018. He settled the lawsuit with the singer one day later, with his attorney insisting that the settlement was in "no way" an admission of his client's "wrongdoing."
Later, two other women filed civil cases against the "I Need a Girl" hitmaker. A woman named Joi Dickerson-Neal accused him of rape, drugging and revenge porn back in 1991. Meanwhile, a third woman, who is identified as Jane Doe, alleged that Diddy and R&B star Aaron Hall took turns raping her and her friend at an MCA Records event in New York City in the early 1990s.
Diddy has denied any wrongdoings. Following the third lawsuit, his spokesperson said in a statement, "These are civil suits with fabricated claims of misconduct from over 30 years ago, which are nothing but a blatant money grab. Mr. Combs is being unfairly targeted by anonymous accusers who lie for financial gain. The New York Legislature never intended the Adult Survivors Act to be exploited." The spokesperson also called the lawsuit an attempt at "money grab" and called the rapper "an easy target" due to his fame.
