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Diddy allegedly threatened to see Vibe EIC “dead in the trunk of a car”

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In a personal essay for the New York Times, former Vibe Magazine editor-in-chief Danyel Smith claimed that Sean “Diddy” Combs allegedly threatened to find her “dead in the trunk of a car” after the two argued over the design of his cover for the magazine’s December 1997/January 1998 issue.

Smith said she and the Bad Boy Records founder had a heated argument over his shoot, which was inspired by the poster for the 1978 Warren Beatty film Heaven Can Wait.

“Combs wanted to see the Vibe covers before they went to press. It was not our policy to show covers before publication,” Smith recalled. “After I refused to let him, we heard that he planned to come to our office and force us to show him what we had chosen – and make us choose something else if he didn’t like what he saw.”

Former Vibe EIC Danyel Smith claimed Sean “Diddy” Combs threatened to leave her “dead in the trunk of a car” after a heated argument. Pichichipixx / SplashNews.com
Smith said the music mogul requested access to advance copies of his December 1997/January 1998 issue of the magazine, which violated company policy. WireImage

When the rapper reportedly called the veteran journalist’s office shortly thereafter, “Combs told me – as I have repeated hundreds of times over the years – that he would see me ‘dead in the trunk of a car.'”

“Without hesitation, I told him that he had to take back that threat.”

According to Smith, he replied, “‘Take back what?'” and laughed “obnoxiously” as he told her, “‘(swear word) you.'”

“After I told him he canceled, we heard that he planned to come to our office and force us to show him what we had chosen,” she wrote. Allison Shelley/Getty Images
When he called her office again shortly afterwards, he told her that he saw me “dead in the trunk of a car,” according to the author’s statement. Daniel Smith/Instagram

“I know where you are. Right on the Lexington,” he replied.

After Smith contacted her lawyer and threatened legal action, Combs quickly faxed an apology.

Smith further revealed that the magazine’s servers were stolen from the office not long after her argument with Combs. And since the finished issue was stored on one of the servers, it was suspected that Diddy’s label was behind the theft.

When she threatened the rapper with legal action, Diddy quickly faxed an apology hours later. Getty Images
Smith’s story comes against the backdrop of Diddy’s ongoing legal troubles as he faces multiple sex trafficking and sexual assault lawsuits. Getty Images

However, Vibe was able to save the issue thanks to their art director, who saved the issue on a floppy disk.

Diddy’s team did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.

Smith’s story comes amid Diddy’s ongoing legal troubles, as the disgraced music mogul faces multiple lawsuits from nearly eight different parties accusing him of sexual assault and sex trafficking.

Model Adria English is the latest person to file a lawsuit against the “I Need a Girl” rapper, claiming he “enticed” her into sex trafficking.

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