It was only a matter of time before more high-profile people were named in the wake of Sean ‘P Diddy’ Combs’ downfall. After all, in an almighty reckoning that mirrors Hollywood’s #MeToo movement, allegations have been flying all year that some of the world’s biggest celebrities were in cahoots with Combs or at least bore witness to his heinous acts at one of his infamous white parties, and then protected him by keeping quiet.

The disgraced rapper, 55, is currently imprisoned in a detention centre in New York, with both civil lawsuits and criminal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution stacked against him. P Diddy says his sexual relationships were consensual and denies all wrongdoing. As he awaits trial – scheduled to begin in May next year – after pleading not guilty, his prolific A-list connections have inevitably been thrust into the narrative along with his alleged crimes… 

Rapper Jay-Z is the latest name tied to the scandal, with the 55-year-old accused of raping a 13-year-old girl with P Diddy after the MTV VMA awards in 2000.

In a civil suit, which was originally filed in October but was amended at the beginning of December to name Jay-Z, he is accused of sexually assaulting the teen, identified only as Jane Doe, at an after-party. She alleges that she was offered a drink that made her feel ‘woozy, lightheaded and felt [like] she needed to lie down’ and that Jay-Z and P Diddy raped her while an unnamed female celebrity watched on.

Jay-Z – whose real name is Shawn Carter – denies the allegations. In a statement, he said, ‘My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a “lawyer” [representing Jane Doe]. What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle. No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion. So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!’

He added, ‘These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!! Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree? These alleged victims would deserve real justice if that were the case.’

Jay-Z then lamented the impact these allegations would have on his wife, Beyoncé, 43, and their three children, Blue Ivy, 12, and seven-year-old twins, Rumi and Sir.  

He has since asked for the identity of the woman to be revealed, or for the case to be dismissed. His lawyer Alex Spiro argued that her decision to file a lawsuit under the name Jane Doe was ‘inconsistent with a genuine effort to determine the truth or falsity of these allegations as opposed to an effort to procure a quick, extortionate settlement’.

Jennifer Lopez has found herself attached to the controversy, given that she dated P Diddy between 1999 and 2001 – when he was at the height of his fame, fortune and alleged criminal activity. 

And after the civil lawsuit dating back to the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards – which J.Lo attended with P Diddy – was brought to the fore, her name has inevitably been dragged back into the uncomfortable spotlight.  

 On the night of those fated VMAs – where she won Best Dance Video for her single Waiting for Tonight – J.Lo was predominately pictured on the arm of her then boyfriend, P Diddy, walking the red carpet together in matching white ensembles. 

She has not commented on her ex-boyfriend’s alleged crimes, but it was reported that her team were on ‘high alert’ and ‘weighing up whether she should break her silence’.  

 Discussing their relationship in 2003, the singer, 55, said, ‘It was the first time I was with someone who wasn’t faithful. 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.’ 

Decorated R&B artist Usher, 45, was introduced to P Diddy in the budding days of his career in 1994. Producer LA Reid sent a 14-year-old Usher to live with Combs in New York while he worked on his debut album, with the OMG singer revealing 10 years later that his mentor ‘introduced me to a totally different set of shit – sex, specifically’ at that time. He added, ‘There [were] always girls around. You’d open a door and see somebody doing it, or several people in a room having an orgy.’ 

In 2016, Usher expanded on his experience in an interview with Howard Stern, admitting that what he witnessed was ‘pretty wild’ and that he was unsure if he could ‘indulge and understand’ what he was looking at. ‘There were very curious things taking place,’ he offered. 

While Usher has not discussed Combs’ arrest, his entire X feed disappeared last month, which prompted speculation that it was in relation to under-fire music tycoon – who, as part of the ongoing criminal accusations he faces, has denied using his ‘power and prestige’ to induce women into drug-fuelled sexual performances with male sex workers. 

When all of Usher’s X posts reappeared, he tweeted, ‘Account got hacked and damn y’all ran with it [sic]’.

Actor Ashton Kutcher has had a longstanding friendship with P Diddy after the pair crossed paths more than two decades ago on MTV’s Punk’d and Making the Band.  

As the torrent of allegations against Combs ramps up, historic comments Ashton previously made about the famous producer have come to light. Appearing on Sean Evans’ Hot Ones in 2019, Ashton, 46, reflected on Combs’ notorious parties – which are now believed to have been the setting for so much of his criminal activity. ‘I’ve got a lot I can’t tell [about the parties],’ Ashton nervously laughed in the resurfaced clip. ‘I mean, I’m, actually cycling through them. Diddy party stories, man. That was like some weird memory lane.’ 

Of course, there’s no suggestion that Ashton was ever involved in any of the charges made against Combs – or that he even knew what was allegedly taking place. But that hasn’t stopped these comments from being received in a slightly more uncomfortable light.  

A source has since alleged that the actor, producer and entrepreneur ‘absolutely regrets’ his friendship with Combs and is ‘fearful’ that the tycoon would have no issue lying to authorities and tossing out famous pals’ names to protect himself. 

P Diddy hosted his notorious White Party annually between 1998 and 2009, and speaking to Vogue in 2017, Combs named award-winning Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio as the ‘number one person’ on the invite list. In a resurfaced photo from the inaugural bash, the 49-year-old actor – who at the time was 23 – can be spotted holding a cigarette, sitting behind a champagne-bearing Combs. 

In 2019, the Titanic star was also videoed dancing at the rapper’s 50thbirthday celebrations, but an insider claimed amid the latest controversies that Leonardo has ‘not been in contact’ with the famous party host for years. 

The source said, ‘Leonardo has absolutely nothing to do with any of this. He attended a few of [Combs’] parties back in the early 2000s – but literally everyone did. 

‘They were not freak-offs. They were big house parties. Leo was at the start of his career at the time and has moved way past his partying.’ 

In late August, Justin Bieber became a father for the first time when his wife, Hailey Bieber, welcomed their son Jack. But as he adapts to newfound parenthood, fans have been jumping on the trend ‘Justice for Justin’ after a clip of 15-year-old him and P Diddy went viral. Combs – who was first introduced to Justin, now 30, when the teen was climbing the ranks in the music world – can be heard saying in the video, ‘Where we’re hanging out and what we’re doing, we can’t really disclose, but it’s definitely a 15-year-old’s dream. I have been given custody of him.’ 

The Love Yourself singer has not broken his silence on the scandal.