'He's still collecting the cheque': Will the Diddy verdict have any consequences on the mogul?

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10 hours ago

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WARNING: This story contains allegations of ​​​sexual violence and may affect those who have experienced​ it or know someone impacted by it.
The split verdict for the trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs came in yesterday. The jury found the hip-hop mogul guilty of two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution, and not guilty of three charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, which could have put him behind bars for life.
But the online chatter around Diddy and his legacy have become just as big a conversation as the trial.
Today on Commotion, guest host Rad Simonpillai is joined by Refinery29 Diddy trial reporter Taryn Finley and hip-hop broadcaster Jay Smooth to react to the news, the discourse around the case and what it all might mean for Diddy's pop legacy moving forward.
We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player.
WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube:
Rad: Can you talk to me about the online discourse and what stood out to you about how people have been discussing this trial?
Taryn: A lot of it has just been plain ugly. I want some of these folks to just say that they hate women with their chest and move on because that's really what they mean when they're using this victim-blaming language with Cassie [Ventura, Diddy's ex-girlfriend] and these other accusers saying, "Oh, they just want money" and "Oh, it wasn't a problem when XYZ." That, again, shows how deeply flawed and deeply ignorant a lot of people are to the pain and suffering that these victims have gone through. When you listen to what they're saying, even on a human level, it doesn't add up to me how a lot of comments can be so cruel and how folks can be outside of the courthouse post verdict, dousing themselves and each other in baby oil.
Unfortunately, again, it's not surprising. We've seen this kind of rallying around Tory Lanez and R. Kelly and Bill Cosby and so many others. And the lack of empathy that is being extended for these victims is not only dark and dehumanizing, but we've become so desensitized to sexual assault and violence allegations in the worst way. And we have to do better.
Jay: Yeah, it really was such a grotesque spectacle. And what was interesting to me is the vibe of some of those videos outside the courtroom. They reminded me of some of the clips we saw on Jan. 6 outside the Capitol, this similar sort of lunatic energy. And I don't think that's a coincidence. Because just like our politics are being poisoned by this whole right-wing, manosphere media ecosystem, on the cultural side, those people outside the courtroom are forming their worldview from a steady diet of these garbage drama channels and influencers whose whole business model is to peddle misinformation on a case like this that taps into your worst instincts and prejudices, just like we watched people make millions of dollars from demonizing Megan Thee Stallion for three years. Those people outside of the courtroom have had an appetite for this salacious dehumanization of these women, and of course we see them go out there and treat the whole situation like a farce. So I think it's a really telling sign of the times, in a lot of ways, for how unserious we are and how much of an appetite we have for hating women, like Taryn said.
Rad: That is so depressing to hear all of that.
I want to get into another aspect of it — setting aside the trial and everything — but just thinking about Diddy as someone who's had this undeniable impact on pop music, pop culture as we know it. How do you think the split verdict then impacts his legacy moving forward?
Taryn: I think a lot of his fans and a lot of folks will also be split. It will be a split decision culturally, where some folks will continue to dance to his music and Diddy bop and do all of that, while others will boo the DJ and tell him to turn it off.
But bigger than music, though, we also have to consider this is a businessman and he has been a businessman for decades. And even though he's sullied his name and sits in prison now, he's still collecting the cheque. And that won't end. He'll no longer be able to be the face of brands like DeLeón [tequila] and Revolt [media company] and be the head of these big media companies, but Diddy is savvy and well-connected. And many won't want to touch him publicly, not necessarily just because of the moral aspect, but because they're afraid of their reputation being hurt, which is a whole other conversation in itself. But there always will be someone who will.
Jay: My personal feeling is I don't care what happens to Diddy's legacy. This is not like a Dr. Dre situation, where you have a genuinely great artist who made big contributions creatively and he also has an ugly history of abuse. That's not who Diddy is. Diddy, I guess, he ushered in the shiny suit era of vapid materialism into music — which is like, thanks a lot. Other than that, he's a megalomaniacal businessman who's really good at self-promotion and finagled his way into a lot of production credits he only halfway deserves. So as far as I'm concerned, throw that legacy away. Use AI to take him off the Biggie tracks and we can move on. The reality is, of course, he's going to be fine, for all the reasons Taryn said.
And really, when I think about legacy, I look at all these women who stepped up to tell their story and I want to know: will they get to have a legacy? And that's going to be up to us with what we do to take what they did and make it count. At the risk of being cheesy, I think that's what I'm more concerned with in terms of legacy.