Diddy’s lawyers issue cease-and-desist to Netflix, allege 50 Cent’s docuseries uses ‘stolen’ footage

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Sean 'Diddy' Combs’ lawyers ordered Netflix to stop releasing the new docuseries 'Sean Combs: The Reckoning,' produced by his longtime rival Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson. 

Combs’ team claims that Netflix used footage in the docuseries that Diddy recorded for his own documentary, but Netflix says it obtained the material legally.

What did Diddy’s lawyers claim?

Diddy's lawyers sent the streaming giant a cease-and-desist letter demanding it halt the release. 

In their cease-and-desist letter, Combs’ lawyers warned Netflix that they are ready to take legal action. “As you are undoubtedly aware, 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,” they wrote.

Combs’ spokesperson also told CNN that Netflix used “stolen footage that was never authorized for release” in what they called a “shameful hit piece.”

The disputed footage appears in Netflix’s official trailer, released Monday morning, December 1. In the one-minute preview, Combs says, “We need to find someone who will work with us who has worked in the dirtiest of dirty businesses. We are losing.”

Combs’ spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer, explained that Combs has filmed himself for decades to create his own documentary. 

Engelmayer added that the footage shown in Netflix’s trailer - recorded six days before Combs’ September 2024 arrest - was part of this personal project.

“Sean was making his own documentary since he was 19 years old. This footage was commissioned as part of it,” Engelmayer said. 

Engelmayer also said that neither Combs nor his team has seen the Netflix docuseries ahead of time. “We will see it tonight. Neither Netflix, nor Mr Jackson were kind enough to offer us a screener,” he said.

Neflix claims they have obtained the footage 'legally'

A Netflix spokesperson directed CNN to a statement from the docuseries’ director, Alexandra Stapleton, who said her team obtained the footage legally.

“It came to us, We obtained the footage legally and have the necessary rights,” Stapleton said. She added, "We moved heaven and earth to keep the filmmaker’s identity confidential. One thing about Sean Combs is that he’s always filming himself, and it’s been an obsession throughout the decades."

Stapleton also said, "We also reached out to Sean Combs’ legal team for an interview and comment multiple times, but did not hear back."

Diddy previously filed lawsuit against NBC

Diddy has already filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against NBCUniversal for a separate documentary on Peacock.

His team said Netflix and CEO Ted Sarandos knew he had been filming his own life story since he was 19, and they called it “unfair and illegal” for Netflix to use that material.

They also criticized Netflix for working with 50 Cent, saying he has a long-standing grudge and a personal vendetta against Combs.

Meanwhile, Jackson continues to mock and criticize Combs on social media, posting about him repeatedly on Instagram on Monday, December 1.

A judge sentenced Combs to 50 months in prison this summer after a two-month trial ended.

Authorities held him at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn following his September 2024 arrest, and they transferred him in late October to Fort Dix, a low-security federal prison in New Jersey.

Combs is currently appealing both his conviction and his sentence. His defense team previously said that they approached President Donald Trump’s administration to request a possible pardon.

Combs is also facing around 70 civil lawsuits. Combs has denied all of the allegations, and several of the lawsuits have already been dismissed.