News | Entertainment
5 Mar 2026 16:31
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Netflix have defended their documentary about Sean 'Diddy' Combs after the rapper branded it "a shameful hit piece"

    The streaming service released Sean Combs: The Reckoning on Tuesday (02.12.25) and the four-part series includes "explosive" footage of the 56-year-old star - who is serving 50 months behind bars after being convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution - on the phone to his lawyers in the days prior to his arrest in September 2004, which his representatives branded "fundamentally unfair and illegal".


    However, Netflix have now hit back and insisted there is nothing untoward about The Reckoning.

    A spokesperson said in a statement: "The claims being made about Sean Combs: The Reckoning are false. The project has no ties to any past conversations between Sean Combs and Netflix.

    "The footage of Combs leading up to his indictment and arrest were legally obtained. This is not a hit piece or an act of retribution. Curtis Jackson [50 Cent] is an ex ecutive producer but does not have creative control. No one was paid to participate."

    Diddy's representative had blasted the use of private footage in the series.

    A statement said: "Netflix is plainly desperate to sensationalise every minute of Mr Combs's life, without regard for truth, in order to capitalise on a never-ending media frenzy.

    "If Netflix cared about truth or Mr Combs's legal rights, it would not be ripping private footage out of context - including conversations with his lawyers that were never intended for public viewing. No rights in that material were ever transferred to Netflix or any third party."

    The I'll Be Missing You hitmaker's spokesperson also attacked Netflix's "staggering" decision to give creative control on the series to rapper 50 Cent, who is described as a "longtime adversary with a personal vendetta".

    The statement read: "For Netflix to give his life story to someone who has publicly attacked him for decades feels like an unnecessary and deeply personal affront. At minimum, he expected fairness from people he respected."

    The disgraced star's spokesperson explained that the documentary featured footage that was "never authorised for release".

    They said: "As Netflix and CEO Ted Sarandos know, Mr Combs has been amassing footage since he was 19 to tell his own story. It is fundamentally unfair, and illegal, for Netflix to misappropriate that work."

    The documentary's director, Alexandria Stapleton, previously insisted she had the "necessary rights" to use the footage.

    She said: "It came to us, we obtained the footage legally and have the necessary rights.

    "We moved heaven and earth to keep the filmmaker's identity confidential."

    50 Cent - who has a long-running feud with Diddy dating back two decades - is an ex ecutive producer and felt that it was necessary for the hip-hop world to address the crimes.

    The 50-year-old rapper told Good Morning America: "If I didn't say anything, you would interpret it as that hip-hop is fine with his behaviours. There's no-one else being vocal."

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     05 Mar: Noel Gallagher hailed his brother Liam Gallagher as he collected the Songwriter of the Year gong at the BRIT Awards
     05 Mar: Mark Ronson paid an emotional tribute to the late Amy Winehouse as he collected the Outstanding Contribution to Music prize at the BRIT Awards
     05 Mar: Sam Fender and Olivia Dean's Rein Me In has won Song of the Year at the BRIT Awards
     05 Mar: Wolf Alice dedicated their BRIT Award for Group of the Year to those who supported them during their early years
     05 Mar: Demi Lovato has become "accustomed" to partying without alcohol
     05 Mar: Luke Grimes was "hesitant" about starring in the Yellowstone spin-off Marshals
     05 Mar: Lisa Rinna sought the opinion of her husband Harry Hamlin on her new book You Better Believe I'm Gonna Talk About It
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    The men's 1500 metres at the national track and field championships in Auckland has been changed to a straight final More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    February was a bumper month for retailers More...



     Today's News

    National:
    The debate NZ should really be having about language policy 16:27

    National:
    What would Winston Churchill make of war with Iran? 16:17

    Cricket:
    A former Proteas captain is lauding the record-breaking display from Finn Allen that launched the Black Caps into the final of cricket's T20 World Cup 16:17

    National:
    Strait of Hormuz: Gulf states’ food security is at immediate risk but wider shortages could push up consumer prices globally 16:07

    International:
    Why are some Shia Muslims mourning Ayatollah Ali Khamenei? 16:07

    Entertainment:
    Noel Gallagher hailed his brother Liam Gallagher as he collected the Songwriter of the Year gong at the BRIT Awards 16:05

    Entertainment:
    Mark Ronson paid an emotional tribute to the late Amy Winehouse as he collected the Outstanding Contribution to Music prize at the BRIT Awards 15:35

    Law and Order:
    A patched Black Power member's been charged after allegedly assaulting two people in a road rage attack in Waikato 15:27

    Rugby:
    The men's 1500 metres at the national track and field championships in Auckland has been changed to a straight final 15:07

    Entertainment:
    Sam Fender and Olivia Dean's Rein Me In has won Song of the Year at the BRIT Awards 15:05


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2026 New Zealand City Ltd