Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking case has sparked interest (and speculation) about his relationship with ex-girlfriend Kim Porter, who died in 2018 at the age of 47.
The jailed rap mogul and his children issued statements on Sept. 24 criticizing what they say are false memoirs purportedly written by the late model that were published this month.
They also cited “horrible conspiracy theories” surrounding Porter’s death, insisting there was no foul play. Since Diddy’s arrest on Sept. 16 and subsequent felony charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation for prostitution, there have been calls for an investigation into Porter’s death, most notably from singer-songwriter Al B. Sure!, who is the father of Porter’s eldest son, Quincy Brown.
What just happened?
Diddy and Porter's four children released statements tearing apart the 59-page memoir, Kim’s Lost Words: A Journey to Justice, from the Other Side… The book, self-published by Chris Todd under the pseudonym Jamal T. Millwood, is on Amazon's top 20 best books list this week even though Todd said he cannot guarantee the authenticity of the memoir.
“Kim Porter’s ‘memoirs’ are false,” Diddy’s attorney, Erica Wolf, said in a statement. “They are also offensive — a blatant attempt to profit from a tragedy.”
The statement continued: “Contrary to the fabrications of her disgusting ‘memoirs,’ it is an established fact that Ms. Porter died of natural causes. May she rest in peace.”
Porter's children, Brown, Christian Combs, Jessie Combs and D'Lila Combs, addressed the “hurtful and false rumors” in their own statement, posted to their Instagram accounts.
They said it was “simply untrue” that Porter had written a book.
As for the “horrible conspiracy theories” that Diddy may have been involved in her death, which are circulating in the book and online, they said they are “deeply saddened that the world has made a spectacle of what has been the most tragic event of our lifetimes.”
“Our lives were shattered when we lost our mother. She was our world. And nothing has been the same since she passed away,” they wrote. “It has long been established that the cause of her death was lobar pneumonia. There was no foul play.”
They ended by asking the public to “please respect our mother… It is what she deserves.”
The most prominent voice calling for an investigation into the death is Al B. Sure!, whose real name is Albert Joseph Brown III. He is Porter's ex and Quincy's biological father.Diddy raised Quincyand Quincy considers the “I'll Be Missing You” singer his father.)
In a series of Instagram posts, Al B. Sure! called on authorities, including the FBI, CIA, NYPD and LAPD, to investigate Porter's death. He claims there is a conspiracy and that his death, from natural causes, was Actually a “tragic murder”.
Cassie Ventura, who is mentioned in Al B. Sure!'s posts and dated Diddy on and off for 11 years before they split in 2018, sued the Bad Boy Entertainment boss in 2023 for rape, abuse and sex trafficking. This sparked sexual abuse lawsuits against him, including a new one filed on Sept. 24 by accuser Thalia Graves, as well as the federal charges.
Yahoo Entertainment has reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department to see if any formal request has been filed to investigate Porter's death. “There is no comment at this time,” a spokesperson said.
Who is Kim Porter?
As a model, Porter walked runways and appeared on the covers of magazines such as Essence and Jet. The Georgia native also had minor roles on television shows such as Law and order and Single womenHe also appeared in several music videos.
Her son Quincy was 3 years old when she began dating Diddy in 1994. They were in a relationship until 2007, and had a son, Christian, and twins Jessie and D'Lila. Diddy also has a son, Justin, with Misa Hylton; a daughter, Chance, with Sarah Chapman; and a daughter, Love, with Dana Tran.
Porter told Essence in 2007 that their romantic relationship fell apart after he fathered Chance outside of their relationship in 2006. However, he also said they remained friends and co-parented. They spent some holidays together and even appeared at industry events together after the split.
How did Porter die?
On November 15, 2018, Porter was found unresponsive in her Toluca Lake, California home and pronounced dead at the scene. At the time, it was reported that she had been suffering from flu-like symptoms for several weeks and contacted her doctor because she was not improving. An autopsy report later revealed that she had died of lobar pneumonia.
Following her death, Diddy posted a tribute on social media, writing, “I don't know what I'm gonna do without you babe… We were more than best friends, we were more than soulmates. WE WERE ANOTHER SHIT! And I miss you so much.”
Diddy raised his children. The youngest, twins, graduated from high school earlier this year.
What about memories?
Kim's Lost Words It was self-published by Chris Todd (real name Todd Guzze), using the pseudonym “Jamal T. Millwood for Kimberly A. Porter”, September 6 on Amazon.
Todd said Rolling Stone Two music industry sources gave him a USB flash drive containing the book. While he “believes it is true,” he said he cannot guarantee it.
“If someone were to challenge me and say, 'Is this book about life or death real?', I would have to say I don't know,” he said.
The memoir, which is reportedly riddled with typos and inaccuracies, details orgies at Diddy's home and claims he physically abused Porter. In the final entry, Porter allegedly writes about feeling sick and texting a friend, “He got me,” implying it was Diddy, before calling 911 and being found unconscious.
“Kim Porter's family is exploring all their options [legal] “Options,” a source close to the family told People.
Al B. Sure!, who said he remained friends with Porter, dismissed the book's contents as “fake” on social media. Porter's friends Kimora Lee Simmons and Lawanda Lane said Rolling Stone They do not know the author. Lane added that “every page in that book is fake” and that the “extremely private” Porter was not working on an autobiography before her death.
Why are people calling for an investigation into Porter's death?
Since his arrest, Diddy's actions and words have been under scrutiny, not only by prosecutors in his case, but also in the court of public opinion.
Over the past week, countless old interviews with Diddy have resurfaced on X and TikTok, and past comments he made about women and partying have been reevaluated in light of the allegations. Diddy is alleged to have hosted “freak-offs” in which he forced women to participate in multi-day sex shows with paid sex workers. He would supply the women with drugs, the indictment says, and secretly videotape them, saving the footage to potentially use against them.
Is Porter named in any of Diddy's lawsuits?
April Lampros sued Diddy in May, accusing him of sexually assaulting her multiple times in the 1990s when she was a fashion student and he was her mentor. She claimed that in one incident in 1996, she was ordered to Diddy's apartment, forced to swallow ecstasy and forced to have sex with Porter while Diddy masturbated.
Lampros also claimed that Diddy and Porter then fired her from her job.
What is the latest on the Diddy case?
Yahoo Entertainment spoke to several legal experts about what's next in Diddy's case, which could take about two years from indictment to sentencing. He is currently incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Multiple civil lawsuits have been filed against Diddy over the past year, including one filed Tuesday by Graves. She alleges that Combs and another defendant sexually assaulted her in 2001 and that the incident was caught on tape.