Sean “Diddy” Combs, the iconic hip-hop mogul and co-founder of Revolt, the music-oriented television network, has announced a temporary step back from his role as chairman. The decision comes in the aftermath of three lawsuits levying serious allegations of sexual assault against Combs.
It also came a week after the first Revolt-related public condemnation of Combs came from Dawn Montgomery, a Black Press reporter. In a bold announcement on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Montgomery announced her resignation from Revolt as a podcaster on the network. She expressed her inability to be part of an organization led by someone facing such serious accusations. Montgomery, a survivor of sexual assault, emphasized the importance of believing Black women.
“I won’t be signing on to do the [third] season of @revolttv’s ‘Monuments To Me’ podcast,” Montgomery wrote. “I am a SA survivor [and] I cannot be a part of a show that’s supposed to uplift Black women while [Diddy] leads the company,” she wrote, adding, “Believe Black women.”
The first lawsuit against Combs, filed by singer and former partner Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, accused the Bad Boy founder of rape, sexual assault, physical assault and sex trafficking. Combs, through his attorney, vehemently denied the allegations and emphasized that his settlement should not be construed as an admission of wrongdoing.
Another lawsuit, filed under the New York Adult Survivors Act by Joi Dickerson-Neal, alleges that Combs drugged, sexually assaulted, and abused her, further claiming to be a victim of revenge porn.
In a third lawsuit, an unnamed Jane Doe claims that between 1990 and 1991, Combs and R&B singer Aaron Hall alternated raping her and her friends at Hall’s apartment. A representative for Combs vehemently denies these claims, dismissing them as fabricated.
Former Bad Boy President Harve Pierre is also named in a separate lawsuit for alleged sexual assault, adding to the mounting legal challenges for Combs and his enterprises.
Combs co-founded Revolt in 2013 with Andy Schuon. The network, which built a reputation for its mission to shift the narrative for Black people globally, now faces uncertainty because of the allegations. With shows like “Love & Respect with Killer Mike” and “Revolt Black News,” Revolt has been a prominent platform for Black storytelling.
