Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek’s network of contributors
As the downfall of Sean “Diddy” Combs continues to unravel into unforeseen depths, some artists seem to be making a statement against the disgraced rapper by altering their own song lyrics that mention him by name.
The disturbing allegations Diddy — who was arrested in September 2024 and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution — are only getting worse as time goes on.
In early October 2024, attorney Tony Buzbee came forward to announce he will be representing 120 accusers — 60 men and 60 women — who are suing Diddy for sexual assault and more. Some of the alleged crimes date back over 30 years; some include minors. Famed lawyer Gloria Allred will represent even more women and men who have come forward with related suits against the hip-hop mogul.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
As Diddy sits behind bars awaiting trial, many celebrities are not only distancing himself from him, they’re also omitting his name from their music.
See the stars who have already dropped Diddy references from their songs in the wake of his sex crimes scandal:
Kesha
Kesha was the first singer to switch up a lyric that name-dropped Diddy, doing so when performing her hit “TiK Tok” with Renee Rapp at Coachella in April 2024.
While the line opens the entire song — “Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy,” (“Hey, what up, girl?” he responds on the track) — Kesha and Rapp made headlines after changing it to “Wake up in the morning like, ‘F*** P. Diddy'” at the music festival, both of them holding up the finger as they sang the line.
The alteration came just one month after Diddy’s Los Angeles and Miami homes were raided by the FBi, and several months after video footage showed the Bad Boy mogul physically attacking ex-girlfriend Cassie in a hotel lobby in 2016.
Kesha made the change official in mid-September 2024 — one day after Diddy’s arrest — sharing a clip of the newly recorded version of “TiK Tok” that features the lyric: “Wake up in the morning like, ‘F*** P. Diddy.'”
Maren Morris
The country star reportedly opted not to utter Diddy’s name while performing her song “Rich” at the Bourbon & Beyond music festival in September 2024.
Jemal Countess/Getty Images
“Boy, I’d be rich, head to toe Prada / Benz in the driveway, yacht in the water,” the song typically goes. “Vegas at the Mandarin, high roller gambling / Me and Diddy drippin’ diamonds like Marilyn.”
To drive her opinion home — and to take a page from Kesha’s book — Morris uploaded a clip from her performance that night to her Instagram Story and wrote, “F*** Diddy,” per Us Weekly.
Joe Jonas
The Jonas Brothers singer and DNCE frontman appeared to drop the “Cake by the Ocean” reference to Diddy during an October 2024 concert.
While Jonas normally sings, “Walk for me, baby / I’ll be Diddy, you’ll be Naomi, woah-oh,” as part of the chorus of the hit — a reference to the “I’ll Be Missing You” singer’s past romance with Naomi Campbell — he changed it up at a September 2024 show in Paris.
Fans continue to debate how he actually altered the lyrics of the song — it sounds like he says, “I’ll be Watts and you’ll be Naomi, whoa-oh” in reference to actress Naomi Watts — it’s clear he doesn’t mention Diddy in this onstage version.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to https://www.rainn.org/
