Inside J Lo's explosive relationship with P Diddy: Star said rapper was the 'first man to cheat on her' and left him a month before his trial on gun charges - but 'denies' he was ex who was 'rough' with and 'manhandled' her
Jennifer Lopez once revealed how Sean 'Diddy' Combs was the first man to cheat on her during their 'tumultuous' relationship from 1999 until 2001.
The rap mogul's homes in Miami Beach and California were raided by federal agents on Monday afternoon as part of an ongoing sex trafficking investigation and as Sean, 54, faces multiple mounting lawsuits and accusations of sexual abuse.
Diddy broke his silence on Tuesday to claim he was the victim of a 'witch hunt' and slammed the Department of Homeland Security for 'gross overuse of military-level force' as sources claimed his sons King, 25, and Justin, 30, had been 'traumatised' after having guns pointed at them during the LA raid.
Also known as P. Diddy, Puff Daddy or Diddy, the Bad Boy for Life hitmaker isn't a stranger to scandal - and at the height of his fame, he made tabloid headlines for his 'tumultuous' relationship with J.Lo, also 54.
The duo bonded over their love of music, and Diddy quickly became like a 'mentor' to the Jenny from the Block songstress.
But after J.Lo, who has since found happiness with Ben Affleck, detailed her past abusive relationships in her emotional 2024 documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told, fans speculated she was referring to her ex Sean.
A source has denied to MailOnline that J Lo was referring about Diddy and that it was a subsequent relationship instead.
Jennifer Lopez once revealed how Sean 'Diddy' Combs (pictured together in 2000) was the first man to cheat on her during their 'tumultuous' relationship from 1999 until 2001
Jennifer - who did not identify who had been abusive to her in the past - said: 'There were people in my life who said "I love you" and then didn’t do things that were kind of in line with the word love.
'Being thrown around and manhandled like that is not fun. I mean, I was never in a relationship where I got beat up, thank God, but I’ve definitely been manhandled and a couple of other unsavoury things. Rough. Disrespectful.'
Fans on Reddit soon suggested that perhaps J.Lo was referring to her relationship with Sean, with one person writing: 'Considering a bunch of allegations of P.Diddy are coming out... I wonder if there's a connection between to speaking out publicly now. Either way I hope she's doing better now!'
FEMAIL has contacted representatives of Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs for comment.
Talking to CBS Sunday Morning in 2019, the singer opened up about her highly-publicised romance with Sean, calling it a 'kind of a crazy, heightened time in her life.'
'You know, Puffy and I both grew up in the Bronx,' she said. 'He had been in the music business and had all this success. I was just starting and making my first album when I met him.
'He became kind of a mentor to me in that moment. We had this kind of crazy, tumultuous relationship that ended in a bang.
'It was definitely a moment but I felt like it was necessary. He was meant to be in my life at that moment to teach me what I needed to know about the music business, about what kind of artist I wanted to be in the music industry.'
Also known as P. Diddy , Puff Daddy or Diddy, the Bad Boy for Life hitmaker isn't a stranger to scandal - and at the height of his fame, he made tabloid headlines for his 'tumultuous' relationship with J.Lo (pictured together in 2000), also 54
The duo (pictured in 2015) bonded over their love of music, and Diddy quickly became like a 'mentor' to the Jenny from the Block songstress
They were together for two years, before splitting in 2001. She later said she ended things because she didn't feel like she could have the family life that she dreamed of with the musician.
She also claimed he had cheated on her, telling Vibe magazine in 2003: 'It was the first time I was with someone who wasn’t faithful.
'I was in this relationship with Puff where I was totally crying, crazy and going nuts, it really took my whole life in a tailspin.
'I never caught him but I just knew. He’d say he was going to a club for a couple of hours and then never come back that night.'
The pair's romance first began while Jennifer was preparing for the release of her debut album, On The 6, which Sean helped produce.
During their relationship, Jennifer debuted her most famous outfit during the Grammy Awards ceremony in 2000. The green silk chiffon dress from Versace was super low-cut, barely covering her cleavage.
But the couple also hit headlines after Jennifer and Sean were arrested on December 27, 1999, following a shooting outside the Times Square Club in Manhattan.
The two were charged with criminal possession of a weapon, though the charges were later dropped against her as she was determined to be uninvolved.
Jennifer and Sean during the 1999 MTV Music Awards. The pair's romance first began while Jennifer was preparing for the release of her debut album, On The 6, which Sean helped produce
During their relationship, Jennifer debuted her most famous outfit during the Grammy Awards ceremony in 2000. The green silk chiffon dress from Versace was super low-cut, barely covering her cleavage. Pictured, the pair in 2000
Jennifer broke up with the rap mogul a month before his trial was slated to begin in 2001. He was ultimately acquitted on all charges.
In 2014, Sean hailed the singer's famous derriere as a 'work art' that will go down in history.
The record producer gushed over the 45-year-old singer's incredibly physique and insists he is 'lucky' to count her among his exes.
He told Access Hollywood Live: 'Oh my God. I'm so lucky to have that great woman in my history, she is one of the greatest I've ever seen.
'I mean, it's great. It's a work of art. It's something that will go down in history, for real it will,' he told them in a video interview.
He then added with a second thought: 'But also her talent, her drive, her determination, she will never give up. She's a great friend of mine, always will be my friend, and I mean that thing is just incredible, man.'
The rapper also slammed Kim Kardashian's famous backside and added that it is 'no way' comparable to Jennifer's curvaceous posterior.
Sean once again commented on J.Lo's looks in 2019, after writing 'OMG' along with a heart eyes emoji on an Instagram post of the singer's in which she flaunted her toned abs.
Sean Combs (L) and Jennifer Lopez attend the after party for the finale of the singer's residency at Caesars Palace on September 30, 2018 in Las Vegas
A few months later, Jennifer revealed Diddy had apologised to her then fiance Alex Rodriguez shortly after commenting on the racy snap.
'Just so you guys know, he wrote Alex after that. He was like "I didn't mean anything by it. I have nothing but respect for you guys. I'm so happy for you guys,"' the singer said during an appearance on The Breakfast Club.
At the time, Alex made sure to mark his territory with his own complimentary message on the Instagram post. 'Lucky me,' he commented, along with a heart, baseball, and check emoticon.
Jennifer said she and Diddy were both just 'kids' when they dated back in 1999 to 2001.
READ MORE: Attorneys for Sean 'Diddy' Combs' accusers Cassie Ventura and Rodney Jones say they hope he is held 'responsible for his depraved conduct' after feds raided rapper's LA and Miami mansions
'We were boyfriend and girlfriend when we were little,' she explained. 'That was so long ago. It was a different type of relationship... we were kids.'
Diddy's lawyer said Tuesday that the searches of the rapper's Los Angeles and Miami properties by federal authorities in a sex trafficking investigation were 'a gross use of military-level force' and that Combs is 'innocent and will continue to fight' to clear his name.
It's the first public statement from the music mogul's team since Monday's raids of his homes by Homeland Security Investigations agents.
'Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs' residences,' said the statement from attorney Aaron Dyer.
'There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated.'
The searches were part of an ongoing sex trafficking investigation by federal authorities in New York, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The officials were not authorised to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
Combs was not detained and spoke to authorities, and neither he nor any family members were arrested, nor has their travel been restricted, according to Dyer's statement.
Dyer said the 'unprecedented ambush' has led to a 'premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.'
'There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations,' Dyer said. 'Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.'
Combs' sons, Justin and Christian 'King' Combs, were handcuffed during the raid at their father's residence in Los Angeles. King, 25, is a music artist whose song 'Can't Stop Won't Stop' with Kodak Black topped Billboard's Mainstream R&B Hip-Hop charts in 2022.
Law enforcement conducted the raid Monday at Combs' multimillion-dollar mansion in the affluent Holmby Hills neighborhood in Los Angeles and his Miami waterfront home. Along with a heavy presence of officers, command trucks were parked outside both properties.
Sean once again commented on J.Lo's looks in 2019, after writing 'OMG' along with a heart eyes emoji on an Instagram post of the singer's in which she flaunted her toned abs
The criminal investigation is a major escalation in the scrutiny of Combs, who has been the defendant in several sexual abuse lawsuits in recent months.
In a lawsuit Combs settled the day after it was filed in November, his former protege and girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, sued him alleging years of sexual abuse, including rape. The lawsuit said he forced her to have sex with male prostitutes while he filmed them.
In November, Joi Dickerson-Neal accused Combs of drugging and raping her in 1991, recording the abuse and sharing it without permission.
Liza Gardner then filed a third suit in late November 2023, also accusing him of sexual and physical abuse. According to a lawsuit obtained by AP, the alleged incidents also occurred in the early 1990s.
Gardner said she was coerced into having sex and then pinned down by R&B singer Aaron Hall and forced to have sex with him too. Her friend was also allegedly coerced into having sex with Combs and Hall.
The suit alleged Combs later went to the women's home to discourage them from reporting what happened. Combs then allegedly choked one of the women until she passed out.
In a shocking fourth suit, reported first in early December, Combs was accused of assaulting an anonymous fourth victim when she was a 17-year-old high school student in 2003.
The woman was allegedly 'sex trafficked' and 'gang raped' by Combs, who was 34 at the time, and Harve Pierre, then-president of his record label.
She says she suffered in silence for 20 years until the R&B singer Cassie sued Combs, her former mentor and ex-boyfriend, for allegedly subjecting her to savage beatings, drug-addled hotel orgies and rape.
Combs responded to the litany of allegations against him in a statement published on Instagram.
He said: 'Enough is enough. For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy.
'Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.'
In February this year, a judge overseeing the fourth case ruled that the woman - whose identity has so far been kept under wraps - will no longer be able to stay anonymous if the lawsuit continues, according to legal documents obtained by TMZ.
Music producer Rodney 'Lil Rod' Jones Jr., who worked with Combs on 'The Love Album: Off the Grid,' is also among his accusers.
He filed a lawsuit against the rapper claiming he was ordered to recruit sex workers and have sex with them for the star's pleasure, and has hundreds of hours of video documenting Combs's 'serious illegal activity'.
Record producer Rodney 'Lil Rod' Jones' filed a bombshell lawsuit against Diddy and claimed that his 'affiliation' to Prince Harry and other stars gave him and his associates 'legitimacy', MailOnline revealed this week.
The court documents filed in the US last month do not suggest any wrongdoing on Prince Harry's part. He is not a defendant and is named once in the 73-page document. MailOnline has asked the Duke of Sussex to comment.
Lil Rod's lawyers claim guests were drawn to Diddy's alleged sex-trafficking parties because of his 'access to celebrities such as famous athletes, political figures, artists, musicians, and international dignitaries like British Royal, Prince Harry', court documents filed in New York say.
Prince William and Prince Harry met P Diddy and Kanye West at a post-concert party the Princes hosted to thank all who took part in the 'Concert for Diana' at Wembley Stadium' in 2007. However, the Prince of Wales is not named in the court documents. It is not known how many times Harry has met the rapper since then, if at all.
Combs is among the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades.
Formerly known as Puff Daddy, he built one of hip-hop's biggest empires, blazing a trail with several entities attached to his famous name.
He is the founder of Bad Boy Records and a three-time Grammy winner who has worked with a slew of top-tier artists including Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112.
Combs' network of non-music business ventures, including lucrative private-label spirits, sportswear fashion and a TV network, has been falling apart since the abuse lawsuits began surfacing.
His vodka and tequila deal with Diageo, a major producer of distilled spirits, formally disintegrated in January when the two parties settled mutual lawsuits, leaving the brands in Diageo's hands.
His fashion line, Sean John, has disappeared from Macy's, one of the line's primary partners; Sean John items remain for sale at Walmart's online store, although many items are heavily marked down or available only in off-sizes.
And last November, Combs resigned as chairman of Revolt TV, which focuses on music and social justice issues for African Americans.
