The Powerful Celebs Who Acted as Diddy’s Human Shield

After decades of courting and mixing with figures of the highest echelons of celebrity, influence, and power, Sean “Diddy” Combs is behind bars following his indictment on three charges for sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

But how could Combs, who—according to court documents and witness claims—orchestrate a far-reaching sex trafficking enterprise, garner a threatening reputation for blowing up the vehicles of his adversaries, and assaulting his lovers and employees, and more—have evaded justice for as long as authorities say these activities have gone on for? One very important strategy for Combs, it seems, was to use his relationships with the rich and famous as a shield.

Combs is a hip-hop figurehead who infiltrated the fashion world to the point that he was able to convince industry icons like Anna Wintour, Marc Jacobs, Tommy Hilfiger, and more to lend their voices to his rap album, Last Train To Paris. The album’s interludes were a triumph of Combs’ in displaying the reach he’d achieved within that industry. Though some close to Combs have denied ever witnessing him participate in the egregious activities he’s been accused of, which according to his indictment include trafficking people for the purposes of soliciting sex and forcibly drugging and threatening victims into participating in his elaborate sex performances, it stands to reason that at some point over the last couple of decades more than one powerful person had witnessed evidence of his alleged wrongdoing.

And though some who’ve worked with Combs have tried to blow the whistle on him for years—none of the most powerful people Combs hosted at his infamous parties have come forward. One claim that perhaps sheds additional light on the complicity of Combs’ friends appeared in the latest lawsuit against him from former Diddy artist Dawn Richards, who alleged that Combs assaulted ex-girlfriend Cassie in front of Grammy-winning musicians Usher and Ne-Yo, as well as Interscope Records co-founder Jimmy Iovine—none of whom intervened.

As for the public, Combs’ use of the public images of his famous friends to assuage rumors that he was engaging in criminal behavior seems to have worked—and for a long time—if the claims turn out to be true. Photos of Combs with figures people are likely to trust, or at the very least express disbelief they’d ever associate with a known-predator, such as Oprah, Wintour, Justin Bieber, or whomever—have been media staples for as long as Combs has been in prominence.

As such, it may prove useful to revisit some of those photos and relationships, to examine just how many powerful celebrities Combs had at his disposal to create that human shield.

Ashton Kutcher

CBS Photo Archive/Getty

Ashton Kutcher and Combs’ friendship is an old one. In the mid-2000s, the pair were so close, they took to touting themselves as the new Rat Pack alongside actor Jamie Foxx. In a 2019 Hot Ones interview, Kutcher told host Sean Evans that “I’ve got a lot I can’t tell,” about his friendship with Combs. He could be forced to speak up soon, as the Daily Mail claimed the star was “expecting a subpoena” about Combs’ wrongdoing.

Anna Wintour

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Wintour has been photographed partying with Diddy several times. Appearing together with the rapper—and sending him that coveted Met Gala invitation—went a long way into his acceptance into the upper echelons of the fashion world. Their friendship extended to plenty of Vogue coverage for the rapper, who has enjoyed regular features and photo shoots in the magazine for decades (the most famous of which likely was 1999’s “Puffy Takes Paris”). Combs would ultimately develop such a complex about his place in the industry that he would allegedly tell his employees, “When you speak to me, you should imagine that you’re talking to Karl Lagerfeld,” as one anonymously told The Daily Beast in June.

Prince Harry

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Harry’s buddying up with Combs could certainly give one the impression that his power extends worldwide, as the British prince has been photographed hanging with Diddy several times over the years.

Jennifer Lopez

When she dated Combs between 1999 and 2001, Lopez wasn’t yet the mega-star that she would become later. She starred in Selena, her first major movie role, in 1997. She was arrested with the disgraced mogul following a shooting at a nightclub in Manhattan and was later released along with Combs, without charges. She hasn’t made a peep about the allegations against her ex-boyfriend, though a source claiming to be close to Lopez told the Daily Mail after the Cassie video that Lopez wouldn’t be speaking up about him as it’s “not her story to tell.”

The Kardashians

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Members of the influential clan have been frequent guests at Diddy’s excursions and parties for years. Several of them were photographed arm-in-arm with him as recently as 2019. Whatever one thinks of the way their fame came to be, their inclusion in Combs’ orbit has an effect.

Oprah

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The renowned host has been buddy-buddy with Combs for years, further creating a shield of powerful people.

Justin Bieber

Jeff Kravitz/Getty

Combs was a mentor of Bieber’s when he shot to fame at just 15-years-old. Though the internet has long circulated rumors that Bieber may have been privy to some inappropriate things while in Diddy’s circle, the pop star hasn’t spoken about his relationship with the former mogul—even amidst all the allegations that have emerged over the past year.

Leonardo DiCaprio

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DiCaprio was filmed dancing at Combs’ 50th birthday party in 2019, and photographed with him several times over the years as a regular guest at his parties.

Paris Hilton

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Paris Hilton is another powerful person who seemed to give Diddy her stamp of approval by attending his lavish parties over the years. As an abuse survivor and advocate for young people, HIlton has been strangely silent about the accusations against him, even though she’s posted about having an “epic time” hanging out at his house.

Mariah Carey

Carey and Combs have been photographed together numerous times, as they both emerged to music prominence around the same time in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She’s also been a frequent guest at his parties.

Jay-Z

Kevin Mazur/Getty

Rapper and mogul Jay-Z is yet another powerful person known to have maintained a friendship with Diddy, as both of them emerged on the hip-hop scene around the same time. They even evaded jail time together. Later, each of them made entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and the fusing of luxury industries with hip-hop as major facets of their personal brands. Jay has regularly participated in charity events and performed on stage with Combs, and there’s no shortage of photographs that show the two men sharing space over the last 30 years—and yet, Jay-Z has never offered any public thoughts on the downfall of his friend. Rapper 50 Cent, in his taunting of Diddy, has noted that Jay-Z seemed to abandon Combs amid the allegations from his various lawsuits.

The list of names could go on and on but whether or not any of these figures will ever speak out, at least so far, seems unlikely, even as Combs prepares to stand trial for some of the most egregious accusations of mass criminal activity a notable celebrity has ever been accused of.