In the wake of three sex assault lawsuits against him, rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has stepped aside as chairman of a TV network he co-founded.
Revolt said on social media that the hip-hop star had no “day-to-day role in the business”.
R&B artist Cassie accused Mr Combs of rape and abuse, but the two settled the lawsuit soon after it was filed. Then two other accusers came forward. Mr Combs has denied the claims, saying the latest ones are “a money grab”.
Revolt shared a post on social media on Tuesday about him stepping down, writing: “While Mr Combs has previously had no operational or day-to-day role in the business, this decision helps to ensure that Revolt remains steadfastly focused on our mission.”
Before Mr Combs temporarily stepped down, Dawn Montgomery, co-host of Revolt's podcast Monuments to Me, announced she would not be signing on for the third season of the show. Ms Montgomery wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “I am a SA survivor & I cannot be a part of a show that's supposed to uplift black women while @Diddy leads the company.”
Mr Combs co-founded the music television network and website in 2013, but it remains unclear if he will return as chairman. There was no official statement from him.
In the first of the three lawsuits, musician Casandra “Cassie” Ventura accused the rapper of rape and sex trafficking. A day after filing the lawsuit, representatives for Mr Combs and Ms Ventura announced they had reached an agreement, without disclosing details.
His lawyer said the decision to settle was not an admission of wrongdoing. Last week, a second lawsuit alleged that Mr Combs had sexually assaulted a psychology student, Joi Dickerson-Neal, in 1991.
She accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting her and recording it. The most recent suit alleges that plaintiff Jane Doe and her friend attended an event in New York in the 1990s hosted by a record company when they met Mr Combs and singer-songwriter Aaron Hall.
The woman alleges the two men offered the pair drinks throughout the night, and later invited them back to Mr Hall's apartment, where the woman claims she was “coerced into having sex with [Mr] Combs”. A representative for Mr Combs said the lawsuits were “nothing but a money grab”.
“These are fabricated claims falsely alleging misconduct from over 30 years ago and filed at the last minute.” The string of legal actions coincides with the end of the New York Adult Survivors Act, which allowed alleged victims of sex crimes to sue after the statute of limitations has lapsed.
— CutC by bbc.com
