- Last week, a jury acquitted Sean "Diddy" Combs of the most serious charges in his criminal case.
- His reputation is far from cleared after the trial made public sordid details of his relationships.
- Here's what a comeback for the man who was once one of hip-hop's most powerful moguls may look like.
While Sean "Diddy" Combs may have beaten the most serious charges in his criminal trial, the court of public opinion might have a different verdict.
Shortly after Thursday's bombshell verdict that allowed Combs to dodge a possible life sentence, his lead defense attorney, Marc Agnifilo, called the decision a "great victory" for the hip-hop mogul.
But some crisis PR experts and an entertainment attorney told Business Insider that Combs' reputation may be beyond rehabilitation.
The often-wrenching courtroom testimony — including the ugly details of his relationship with R&B singer Cassie Ventura and the drug-fueled "freak off" sex performances at the center of the trial — will be hard for the public to forget.
"Racketeering dodge or not, the pimp transport convictions lock him in society's septic tank," Eric Schiffer, the CEO of Reputation Management Consultants, said.
Combs was acquitted of the top sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges, but the crimes he was convicted of — two Mann Act charges related to transporting his victims for prostitution — will still "make him a legal leper," said Schiffer. (Combs faces up to 20 years behind bars, though legal experts expect his sentence to be much less.)
"Rehabbing his image will be an uphill battle," said William DiAntonio, the CEO of reputation management firm Reputation911. "The court of public opinion often operates differently than a court of law, and the details that emerged during the trial, even those not leading to convictions, can be incredibly damaging."
Part of the problem for Combs will be the visuals connected with the case, in particular the hotel security footage of him physically assaulting Ventura, the government's key sex-trafficking trial witness.
The day after the verdict, the New York Post's front page labeled Combs the "Notorious P.I.G." and a "baby oil-obsessed woman beater," over a still from the video, and a number of celebrities, including Kesha and Mariska Hargitay, expressed support for Ventura.
"That video is going to be hard to forget," Evan Nierman, the CEO of crisis-PR firm Red Banyan, said. "It's seared into the consciousness of the public."
Associating with that image is a risk that celebrities — the ones who once saw Combs as a powerful kingmaker — and businesses won't want to take.
"Industry A-listers won't risk a photo-op; one Getty watermark equals a brand bleed," Schiffer said. "Sync licensors will keep treating his catalog like a radioactive dirty bomb."
Combs' income streams have largely dried up since sex abuse allegations against him began to surface in 2023, with his once-partner Diageo saying that the accusations "make it impossible for him to continue to be the 'face' of anything."
The number of civil lawsuits piled up against him won't help any reputational rehab. Combs faces more than 50 suits accusing him of sexual assault, rape, drugging and other forms of violence. Beyond his denial of the criminal charges that the government brought, Combs has also denied any allegations of sexual assault.
"Sean Combs isn't chasing headlines — he's focused on what matters: his life, his family, and the challenging road ahead," a spokesperson for Combs told Business Insider. "Commentators can weigh in, but history has proven he's never been one to count out."
From criminal to family man
A comeback for Combs may not be impossible.
"If he'd been convicted on the more serious charges, there would be no point in even making an attempt to rehabilitate his image," Nierman said, but "if you look at what the convictions cover, there's no reason why he can't actually rebound from this."
Part of the reason, he said, was that Combs' reputation never revolved around him being a "nice sweet guy."
"He was the founder of Bad Boy Records, not Altar Boy Records," he added.
Even Combs' defense attorneys painted the music tycoon as a "flawed" man with a violent side, arguing that domestic violence is not sex trafficking.
Nierman pointed to the trial of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, in which both parties sued the other for defamation, as analogous.
The trial revealed "really horrific things" and "really embarrassing details of messy lives," he said, "yet, when Johnny Depp got a good outcome in court, he was instantly able to jump back into Hollywood limelight."
Depp is starring in the thriller "Day Drinker" that is set to be released later this year.
Erasing the image of Combs as a sex-obsessed, violent abuser will be crucial, and replacing that image with one of a family man may be the best way forward, Nierman said.
It's an image Combs may already be working on: His mother and children were often in court, showing their unwavering support, and he traded in his flashy bling and dark sunglasses for gray hair and sweaters, projecting an image of a run-of-the-mill dad.
Combs' reaction in the aftermath of the verdict will also be key to any sort of revival, other experts say.
"If he stays under the radar and attempts to run his businesses with a different figure heading his various companies, he can avoid further backlash," Camron Dowlatshahi, a Los Angeles entertainment attorney with Mills Sadat Dowlat LLP, said. It will never be a full recovery, though, he added.
DiAntonio agreed, saying that if "Combs were to publicly gloat or position the verdict as a full exoneration, it would likely backfire."
"This is not a time for celebration," he added. "Moving forward with humility, acknowledgment, and a visible commitment to change would be far more effective."
Combs' supporters, however, would disagree.
After the verdict was announced, people jailed with him at the federal detention center in Brooklyn greeted Combs with a standing ovation, while outside the courtroom, fans celebrated with cheers and — in a nod to the thousands of bottles found in Combs' homes — baby oil.
