Leonardo DiCaprio has reportedly distanced himself from Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs after a photo emerged of the Hollywood actor at one of the disgraced musician’s notorious “White Parties”.
Combs was arrested on September 16 on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and sexual assault and other crimes. He pleaded not guilty to the three-count indictment, was denied bail and has been taken to jail to await trial.
Combs’ White Parties were lavish affairs with a white dress code and star-studded guest lists made up of the upper echelons of the music and entertainment industries.
As a photo resurfaced of a young DiCaprio smiling and smoking with Combs and others at one of the parties at the hip-hop mogul’s home in East Hampton, a source close to DiCaprio said the actor has had nothing to do with Combs “for years”.
DiCaprio has been photographed with Combs on other more recent occasions, including at the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004.
In 2019, DiCaprio was filmed dancing at Combs’ 50th birthday party.
In a video interview with Vogue in 2017, entitled ‘73 Questions with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’, the musician said DiCaprio was the “number one” person on the invite list for his then upcoming White Party.
But a source close to the actor appeared to dismiss any suggestion the pair are close, telling MailOnline: “Leonardo DiCaprio has absolutely nothing to do with any of this.
“He attended a few of his parties back in the early 2000s - but literally everyone did.”
The source told MailOnline the actor had only attended “big house parties”.
“Leo was at the start of his career at the time and has moved way past his partying,” they said.
“He has nothing to do with any of that world, so for anyone to assume that he will get roped into this based on a few grainy photos that are more than 20 years old is ridiculous.
“Leo is focused on his career and his relationship and is not at all thinking about Diddy's federal case, which he has nothing to do with.”
It comes after singer Justin Bieber - a former collaborator of Combs - spoke out to say he did not want to focus on Combs’ arrest, and was instead focused on “being a great dad and husband”.
Combs - one of the most prominent producers and most famous names in the history of hip-hop - was arrested in New York.
His arrest came six months after authorities conducting an investigation raided his homes in Los Angeles and Miami.
Detailing allegations dating to 2009, the unsealed indictment accuses Combs of abusing, threatening and coercing women for years “to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct”.
The indictment describes Combs as the head of a criminal enterprise engaged in or attempting to engage in activities including sex trafficking, forced labour, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, drug offences, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice.
His lawyer Marc Agnifilo said outside the Manhattan federal courthouse last Tuesday that his client is innocent. Combs later pleaded not guilty in court.
“Obviously, he’s going to fight this with all of his energy and all of his might and the full confidence of his lawyers,” said Mr Agnifilo. “And I expect a long battle with a good result for Mr Combs.”
The indictment says Combs gave victims drugs to keep them “obedient and compliant” and wielded his “power and prestige” to “intimidate, threaten, and lure” women into his orbit, “often under the pretense of a romantic relationship.”
He exerted control over victims by promising career opportunities, providing and threatening to withhold financial support, dictating how they looked, monitoring their health records and controlling where they lived, according to prosecutors.
Details of the charges were not immediately announced by prosecutors earlier, but the hip-hop mogul has faced a stream of allegations by women in recent months who accused him of sexual assault.
“He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal,” Mr Agnifilo said.
Combs, then known as Puff Daddy, was at the centre of the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop battles of the 1990’s as the partner and producer of the Notorious BIG, who was shot and killed in 1997.
But like many of those who survived the era, his public image softened with age and he became a businessman, a doting father and a host of parties in Hollywood and the Hamptons,
However, a different image began emerging in November, when his former protege and girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, became the first of several people to sue him for sexual abuse with stories of a steady stream of sex workers in drug-fuelled settings termed “Freak Offs” where some of those involved were coerced or cajoled into sex.
In her November lawsuit, Cassie alleged years of abuse, including beatings and rape.
Her suit also alleged Combs engaged in sex trafficking by "requiring her to engage in forced sexual acts in multiple jurisdictions" and by engaging in "harboring and transportation of Plaintiff for purposes of sex induced by force, fraud, or coercion".
It also said he compelled her to help him traffic male sex workers Combs would force Cassie to have sex with while he filmed.
The suit was settled the following day, however, in May CNN aired a leaked video of him punching Cassie, kicking her and throwing her on the floor in a hotel hallway.
The following day, Combs posted a social media video apologising, saying “I was disgusted when I did it” and “I’m disgusted now”.
Cassie’s lawsuit was followed by at least a half-dozen others in the following months.
In February, a music producer filed a lawsuit alleging Combs coerced him to solicit prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them.
Another of Combs' accusers was a woman who said the rap producer raped her two decades ago when she was 17.
Cassie’s lawsuit was followed by at least a half-dozen others in the ensuing months.
In February, a music producer filed a lawsuit alleging Combs coerced him to solicit prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them. Another of Combs' accusers was a woman who said the rap producer raped her two decades ago when she was 17.
