Leonardo DiCaprio has reportedly distanced himself from Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs after a photo surfaced of the Hollywood actor at one of the disgraced musician’s infamous ‘White Parties’.
Combs was arrested on September 16 and charged with sex trafficking, extortion and sexual assault, among other crimes. He pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge, was denied bail and has been taken to jail to await trial.
Combs’ White Parties were extravagant affairs featuring an all-white dress code and a star-studded guest list consisting of the top echelons of the music and entertainment industry.
When a photo surfaced of a young DiCaprio laughing and smoking with Combs and others at one of the parties at the hip-hop mogul’s East Hampton home, a source close to DiCaprio said the actor had not been involved with Combs for “years.”
DiCaprio has also been photographed with Combs recently, including at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston.
In 2019, DiCaprio was filmed dancing at Combs’ 50th birthday party.
In a 2017 video interview with Vogue, titled “73 Questions with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs,” the musician said that DiCaprio was “number one” on the invite list for his then-upcoming White Party.
But a source close to the actor appeared to deny any suggestion the pair are close, telling MailOnline: “Leonardo DiCaprio has absolutely nothing to do with any of this.
“He went to a few of his parties in the early 2000s, but literally everyone.”
The source told MailOnline the actor had only attended “big house parties”.
“Leo was just at the beginning of his career then and is now way past partying,” they said.
“He has nothing to do with that world, so it’s ridiculous that anyone would assume he’s going to be sucked into it based on a few grainy photos that are 20-plus years old.
“Leo is focused on his career and his relationship and is completely oblivious to Diddy’s federal case, which has nothing to do with him.”
This came after singer Justin Bieber, a former associate of Combs, said he did not want to focus on Combs’ arrest, but instead wanted to focus on “being a great father and husband.”
Combs, one of the most prominent producers and famous names in hip-hop history, was arrested in New York.
He was arrested six months after authorities investigated his homes in Los Angeles and Miami.
The unsealed indictment, which contains allegations dating back to 2009, accuses Combs of abusing, threatening and coercing women for years “to satisfy his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct.”
The indictment describes Combs as the head of a criminal organization that engages or attempts to engage in activities such as sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for the purpose of prostitution, drug offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice.
His attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said outside the federal courthouse in Manhattan last Tuesday that his client is innocent. Combs later pleaded not guilty in court.
“It is clear that he is going to fight this with all of his energy and all of his power and the full confidence of his lawyers,” Mr. Agnifilo said. “And I expect a long fight with a positive outcome for Mr. Combs.”
The indictment alleges that Combs gave his victims drugs to keep them “compliant and obedient” and that he used his “power and prestige” to “intimidate, threaten and lure” women into his entourage, “often under the pretense of a romantic relationship.”
Prosecutors say he controlled the victims by promising them career opportunities, offering or threatening to withhold financial support, dictating what they looked like, checking their medical records and determining where they lived.
Prosecutors did not immediately announce the charges, but the hip-hop mogul has faced a series of allegations in recent months from women accusing him of sexual abuse.
“He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal,” Mr Agnifilo said.
Combs, then known as Puff Daddy, was at the center of the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop battle of the 1990s as a partner and producer of the Notorious B.I.G. He was shot and killed in 1997.
But like many who survived, his public image softened with age and he became a businessman, a devoted father and a party host in Hollywood and the Hamptons.
In November, however, a different picture began to emerge, when his former protégé and girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, became the first of several people to accuse him of sexual abuse. They told of a steady stream of sex workers in drug-fueled settings, known as “freak offs,” where some of those involved were coerced or persuaded to have sex.
In her November lawsuit, Cassie alleged years of abuse, including beatings and rape.
In her complaint, Combs also alleged that she engaged in sex trafficking by “forcing her to participate in forced sexual acts in multiple jurisdictions” and by “harboring and transporting Plaintiff for sexual purposes induced by force, deception or coercion.”
He also allegedly forced her to help him traffic male sex workers, with whom Combs forced Cassie to have sex while he filmed.
The lawsuit was settled the next day, but in May, CNN aired a leaked video showing him punching, kicking and throwing Cassie to the floor in a hotel hallway.
The next day, Combs posted a video on social media apologizing, saying, “I was disgusted when I did it” and “I’m still disgusted now.”
In the months that followed, at least six more lawsuits were filed against Cassie.
In February, a music producer filed a lawsuit alleging that Combs forced him to approach prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them.
Another of Combs’ accusers was a woman who claimed the rap producer raped her 20 years ago, when she was 17.
In the months that followed, at least six more lawsuits were filed against Cassie.
In February, a music producer filed a lawsuit alleging that Combs forced him to solicit prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them. Another of Combs’ accusers was a woman who said the rap producer raped her two decades ago when she was 17.