Sean “Diddy” Combs apologizes for alleged assault seen in 2016 surveillance video

Sean “Diddy” Combs apologizes for the recently surfaced “2026” security video that aired on CNN appears to show him attacking singer Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016. He said his behavior was “inexcusable” and that he took “full responsibility” for his actions.

The hip-hop mogul apologized on social media Sunday for the alleged attack, saying in a video on Instagram that he was “disgusted” by his actions.

“It’s so hard to reflect on the darkest times in life, but sometimes you have to,” Diddy said on Instagram. “I was at my wits’ end – I hit rock bottom – but I’m not making excuses. My behavior in this video is inexcusable.”

The video, which first aired on CNN on Friday, is the latest in a months-long series of public allegations and revelations of physical and sexual violence against Combs.

In the video, Combs, wearing only a white towel, can be seen apparently punching and kicking the R&B singer, who was his protégé and longtime girlfriend at the time. The footage also shows Combs allegedly pushing and pulling Ventura and throwing a vase in her direction.

Security camera video from March 5, 2016 closely resembles a description of an incident at an InterContinental Hotel in the Century City neighborhood of Los Angeles described in a lawsuit filed by Ventura in Novemberwhose legal name is Cassandra Ventura, alleged years of sexual abuse and other violence at the hands of Combs.

The lawsuit alleges Combs paid the hotel $50,000 for the security video. CNN did not say how the company obtained the video, but said it verified the location by comparing the footage with publicly available images of the InterContinental Hotel.

Diddy has denied the allegations in the lawsuit, but neither he nor his representatives had responded to the video as of Sunday.

“I take full responsibility for my actions in this video,” Combs said Sunday. “I was disgusted when I did it back then. I’m disgusted now. I went and sought professional help. I started going to therapy, went to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I do.” I’m so sorry. But I strive to be a better person every day. I’m really sorry.

On Friday, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office said in a statement that it was “aware of the video.” They said the images were “extremely disturbing and difficult to view” but “we could not press charges as the conduct would have occurred outside the time frame in which a crime of assault can be prosecuted.”

An attorney for Ventura told CBS News in a statement that Combs’ testimony Sunday was “more about himself than the many people he hurt.”

“When Cassie and several other women came forward, he denied everything and implied that his victims were looking for a payday,” Meredith Firetog, partner at Wigdor LLP, said in a statement. “That he was only forced to ‘apologize’ after his repeated denials were proven false shows his abject desperation, and no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words.”