Sean “Diddy” Combs is attempting to halt the global release of Sean Combs, The Reckoning, with lawyers issuing a cease-and-desist to Netflix hours before the four-part documentary is set to air. The series, executive-produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and directed by Alexandra Stapleton, is already attracting intense scrutiny due to claims it contains stolen and unauthorised footage.
Combs’ attorney Michael Tremonte delivered the warning to Netflix on Monday, arguing the company risks legal action for copyright infringement or possession of stolen property if the project launches as planned. Tremonte claims Netflix pitched Combs on a documentary in 2023, which he declined due to creative disagreements, then allegedly passed unrelated footage to Jackson, who has long been positioned as a rival figure.
At issue is a series of clips featuring Combs in a New York hotel room in the days before his September 2024 arrest. In one of the scenes, Combs is seen meeting with his lawyers as he discusses strategy while acknowledging mounting pressure, saying, “I am going to let you professionals look at the situation and come back with a solution, we’re losing, y’all are not working together the right way.”
Another scene previewed on US television shows Combs greeting fans in Harlem before later requesting hand sanitiser and a bath. Combs’ team argues that every frame was originally shot for an unfinished documentary he has been personally filming since he was nineteen, with the intention of shaping a definitive account of his life and career.
Combs’ spokesperson Juda Engelmayer says the disputed material was recorded six days before the arrest and was never approved for release. According to Engelmayer, the project contains “private moments, pre-indictment material and conversations involving legal strategy” that Netflix had no right to use.
Netflix has rejected claims of wrongdoing. The company directed media outlets to a statement from director Alexandra Stapleton, who says the production team obtained the clips legally. Stapleton insists the filmmaker responsible for supplying the material is being protected, and stresses that Combs’ legal team was invited to comment throughout the documentary’s development.
Stapleton also notes that Combs has filmed himself obsessively over decades, leaving extensive archives scattered across past creative partnerships. The director claims every element used in The Reckoning is covered by valid rights.
Combs and 50 Cent have been linked through a public feud that dates back almost twenty years. The rivalry first gained attention through tracks and interviews in the mid-2000s, coinciding with the commercial rise of both performers. Jackson, who built his reputation on the back of early hits such as Get Rich Or Die Tryin’, later moved into television with the Power franchise, where he cast two of Combs’ sons in key roles.
Jackson argues their connection has always been competitive rather than personal.
The relationship between the two figures changed significantly as Combs’ legal circumstances deteriorated. Jackson has since positioned himself as a vocal commentator on allegations surrounding the former Bad Boy Records founder, stating that silence would leave audiences believing the music industry accepts Combs’ alleged conduct.
Sean Combs’ long career in hip hop began in the early 1990s when he became a central figure in the rise of Bad Boy Records, working with artists including The Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, 112 and Mase. His commercial breakthrough as a solo artist came with the success of No Way Out, released in 1997, which led to multiple Grammy Awards and global fame.
The artist’s public image shifted following a two-month federal trial in 2025. He was convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, while being acquitted of more serious charges including racketeering and sex trafficking. His conviction led to a sentence of fifty months in federal prison. Combs was initially held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn before being transferred to the low-security Fort Dix facility in New Jersey. He remains incarcerated and is currently appealing the verdict.
Combs also faces a wave of civil litigation, with approximately seventy lawsuits filed across several jurisdictions. Many plaintiffs allege they were drugged or assaulted, and some claim they were minors at the time. Combs has denied all civil allegations, several of which have been dismissed.
Combs’ lawyers warn Netflix that releasing the documentary will trigger further legal action. They argue Netflix and CEO Ted Sarandos were fully aware of Combs’ decades-long plan to create his own comprehensive documentary and that using any associated footage is improper and illegal. They also object to Jackson’s role in the production, describing him as an adversary with a personal vendetta.
Netflix has not delayed the premiere, and Sean Combs, The Reckoning is scheduled to debut on Tuesday.
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