Sean “Diddy” Combs has returned his key to New York City at the request of Mayor Eric Adams in response to the recent release of a video showing the music mogul attacking his ex-girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie Ventura.
The mayor’s office said on Saturday (June 15) that Combs returned the key after Adams sent letters to the embattled rapper and record producer’s offices in New York and California on June 4.
In his letter, Adams wrote he was “deeply disturbed” by the attack, adding: “I strongly condemn these actions and stand in solidarity with all survivors of domestic and gender-based violence.”
City Hall received the rescinded key on June 10.
54-year-old Combs, a Harlem Native, was originally presented the symbolic key at a ceremony last September. It coincided with the release of his new album, The Love Album: Off the Grid.
Keys to the City are “a beloved symbol of civic recognition and gratitude” typically “reserved for individuals whose service to the public and the common good rises to the highest level of achievement,” according to the city’s website.
Combs’ career has been derailed by numerous accusations of sexual abuse, as well as a federal criminal sex-trafficking investigation that led to raids of Combs’ mansions in Los Angeles and Miami.
In May, CNN aired security footage of Combs attacking Cassie in a hotel hallway in Los Angeles in 2016. Captured from multiple angles, the video shows Combs in a towel chasing Ventura down the hallway, before attacking her near the elevators. He then attempts to drag her back down the corridor.
After pushing Ventura to the ground, Combs retrieves a purse and suitcase from the floor near the elevators. He turns around and kicks her again as she lies on the floor.
Combs has said he is “truly sorry” for the attack on Cassie and called his actions “inexcusable.”
The 37-year-old “Long Way 2 Go” singer sued Combs last year, setting off a wave of increased scrutiny on the mogul. That case was settled a day after it was filed.
Earlier this month, Howard University, too, rescinded an honorary degree awarded to Combs and ended a scholarship program in his name following the release of the video involving Cassie.
Combs, founder of Bad Boy Records, is one of the most influential hip-hop producers and executives in the last three decades, turning musical success into a business empire.
Additional reporting from The Associated Press.
