Diddy has to contend with yet another lawsuit. A singer claims that Diddy drugged and assaulted him a decade ago. TMZ broke the suit on Monday, January 3. The singer used the name "John Doe" in order to protect his identity. Doe claims the incident took place at a Los Angeles club where he was performing. He visited Diddy's section after being told he could land a contract with Bad Boy. Things allegedly took a dark turn once he had a drink with Diddy.
John Doe claims he started to feel disoriented after consuming the drink in question. He cited moments of semi-consciousness and blackouts as the evening wore on. Doe admits his memory of the night is not pitch perfect, but claims Diddy repeatedly touched him and assaulted him. The accuser recalls fighting back, only to have Diddy threaten to "ruin" his career if he said anything. John Doe is suing the Bad Boy mogul for sexual battery, conspiracy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Diddy's legal team has already issued a statement denying the allegations.
"Mr. Combs cannot respond to every new publicity stunt," the statement read. "Even in response to claims that are facially ridiculous or demonstrably false. Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process." The statement concluded that Diddy is not guilty of any of the crimes he's been accused of. "In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone — man or woman, adult or minor." The mogul's legal team has issued very similar statements in the past.
The mogul has not had a particularly smooth start to 2025. Diddy was taken to the hospital the evening of January 30. He did not spend the night in the hospital, but People reported that he was dealing with a nagging pain in his knee. The mogul got an MRI on his knee, which has reportedly bothered him for over two decades. He's back in his cell at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. The trial against the man born Sean Combs is slated for March 2025.
The Darkness have shared that their holiday anthem Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End) came together on the spot after a night of heavy drinking.
Guitarist Dan Hawkins looked back on the moment the band’s label encouraged them to deliver a festive release following their breakthrough in the UK.
He told NME, “I was in the Met Bar getting absolutely wasted with Max Lousada, our A+R guy back then.
He said, ‘We have to start thinking about a Christmas single, right? What are you thinking: Love Is Only A Feeling?’ I told him, ‘Well, that is not a Christmas single, is it?’ He asked if we already had one and I said ‘Yeah’… even though we did not.”
The following day, while on the way to open for Metallica at Dublin’s RDS Arena, the group jumped straight into creating it. Hawkins picked up fairy lights and Christmas sweaters for the tour bus, and the 2003 track came together quickly.
He continued, “Justin had that chorus lying around as something he messed with years ago.
We figured out how to shape it into a real song and it was wrapped up within a couple of hours in the back of the bus. We honestly just blagged the whole thing.”
Even with its quick creation, Hawkins explained that the band wanted to craft an authentic Christmas single rather than simply dropping sleigh bells onto an already finished idea.
He added, “At that moment, I really wanted to compete. I wanted to be involved in the race for Christmas. You can tell instantly when someone just tosses in bells and the word ‘Christmas’ to an ordinary song. We wanted to make something that felt real.”
The track eventually grew into one of the band’s most iconic releases, placing The Darkness securely among modern Christmas rock staples.
The song narrowly missed the top spot after losing out to Gary Jules and Michael Andrews’ cover of the Tears For Fears track Mad World.
