Trigger Warning: This article discusses alleged sexual assault and sex trafficking.
As Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs awaits his federal court date, where he will plead ‘Not Guilty’ to the criminal charges of racketeering and sex trafficking, the silence of those closest to him has been deafening. But there’s one voice that has remained vocal about Diddy and his high-profile circle for years – that of American singer, Jaguar Wright.
While more disturbing details continue to emerge about Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and his alleged crimes, as well as music industry veterans and celebrities whose attendance at the infamous “Diddy” parties have attracted renewed public scrutiny, Jaguar Wright has maintained that Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ alleged behaviour has always been an open secret.
But who is Jaguar Wright and why is she making headlines?
Who Is Jaguar Wright?
Born in New Jersey in 1977, Jaguar, whose full name is Jaguar Suzette Wright, is an American singer and songwriter whose career began in the late nineties, after being discovered by hip-hop group The Roots.
But her start in the music industry didn’t happen overnight. In an interview with MTV in 2002, Wright noted that her road to recognition hadn’t been easy: “I’d been trying to get in for a long time.”
In 1999, Wright was noticed by Groove Theory’s producer Bryce Wilson, who began talking to the singer about joining his group. Around the same time, Wright was booking consistent gigs with an open mic forum that happened to be organised by one of hip hop’s biggest groups at the time – The Roots.
In the same interview, Wright shared her experience with learning to make hard decisions early on in her career: “I went with my gut,” she said. “Bryce was asking me to give away all my publishing and sing his music. The Roots offered me an opportunity to move forward with my own career and do music I believe in.”
The singer then went on to tour with The Roots, and in 2001, performed on Unplugged on MTV as a back up singer for Jay Z.
Who Has Jaguar Wright Written Songs For?
Jaguar Wright has released two studio albums titled Denials Delusions and Decisions, and the follow-up Divorcing Neo 2 Marry Soul, along with a number of singles released between 2001-2014.
The singer has also appeared on tracks for The Roots, Dice Raw, Blackalicious, Mike Watts and Femi Kuti, and also counts multiple credits for backing vocals on various albums.
How Does Jaguar Wright Know Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs?
Coming up in the music industry in the late nineties and early noughties, around the same time as Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Jaguar has spoken out about attending Combs’ infamous parties over the years and in 2022, made headlines after comments shared across her own social channels directly called out Combs.
The artist has also made claims that she attended the infamous white parties over the years, with the intention of rescuing any potential victims.
What Did Jaguar Wright Say During Her Piers Morgan Interview?
On October 3, Wright joined Piers Morgan on his show Piers Morgan: Uncensored alongside DJ Vlad and lawyer for one of Sean Combs’ accusers, Ariel Mitchell-Kidd.
The episode’s synopsis notes that while the world has been shocked to learn of the claims against “Diddy”, there are those whose shock comes only from how long the rapper has been allowed continue like this.
“While the world at large has been shocked by these allegations, seemingly everyone that Piers Morgan has spoken to about it had prior knowledge of this frightening ‘open secret’. Their surprise lies in just how long Diddy has avoided justice. With every day that passes, more people join the queue of industry mainstays eager to reveal what they know.”
Responding to Piers, whose line of questioning attempted to uncover just how close she was to Combs, Jaguar acknowledged the public scrutiny surrounding her claims.
“A lot of people have been questioning, well, she doesn’t really know him, she has no knowledge of him…” before adding, “I would never take a picture with the devil everyone knew he was the devil, he’s been the devil for 30 years.”
When asked by Morgan about how many victims she estimates there might be, Wright responded “Thousands.” She adds, “I’ve talked to hundreds that I deal with still myself.”
During the interview, Wright also named Shawn Carter – also known as Jay-Z – and his wife Beyoncé as knowing accomplices, but since the interview has aired, Piers has been forced to edit out the entire segment due to a legal request to do so.
An editor’s note for the episode revealed why the comments had been removed. “The segment as originally aired contained allegations by Jaguar Wright about Shawn Carter and Beyoncé, which have been removed. Legal representatives for Mr Carter strongly denied those allegations and requested that they be removed.”
Adding, “We do not edit content unless there is a sufficient legal rationale for doing so and will explain whenever this is the case.”
The interview happened just days after it was announced that 120 alleged new victims had come forward with allegations against Sean Combs.
Most recently, Sean Combs’ mother released a statement in defence of her son, labelling the charges against him as “repulsive allegations” and claiming they are “motivated by those seeking a financial gain, and not justice.”
This article originally appeared on Marie Claire Australia and is republished here with permission.
