Physical Address

304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124

This Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs mugshot is from 1999, not 2024 | Fact check

A Sept. 16 Threads post (direct link, archive link) shows front and side images of music producer and rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs.
“Breaking news: Sean’Diddy’ (sic) Combs arrested in a Manhattan hotel!” reads the post’s caption. “No other details given at this time!”
The post was shared more than 100 times in four days. Similar versions of the claim were shared on Instagram and Threads.
More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page
The implied claim here is wrong. The mugshot was captured in 1999 when Combs was charged with possession of a firearm and is unrelated to his Sept. 16 arrest. As of Sept. 20, authorities have not released the 2024 mugshot.
Combs was arrested Sept. 16 in Manhattan and charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. The music producer pleaded not guilty to the three criminal counts the following day, and the judge ruled that he would remain in custody pending a trial.
But the mugshot shown in the Threads post isn’t related to this arrest. As of Sept. 20, police haven’t released those booking photos.
The photos in the post were captured in December 1999 after Combs was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm and were distributed by Getty Images. Those charges came after a gun was found in the car he was riding in following a shooting at a Times Square club that left three people wounded, The Los Angeles Times reported at the time.
After a two-month trial, Combs was acquitted in 2001, The Washington Post reported.
Fact check: Diddy edited into photo of Kamala Harris and Montel Williams
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
PolitiFact also debunked the claim.
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.
USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.

en_USEnglish