The 2018 death of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ex-girlfriend Kim Porter had a massive impact on him, a source exclusively tells Us Weekly.
“When Kim died, it rocked Diddy’s world,” the insider reveals in the new issue of Us. “It was a massive shock and a turning point. All the other women in his life were playthings. Kim was the real deal. It was all down from there.”
Porter and Diddy, 54, had an on-again, off-again relationship from 1994 to 2007 and shared three children: son King, 26, and twin daughters D’Lila and Jessie, 17. Diddy also adopted Porter’s son from a previous relationship, Quincy, 32. After Porter died from lobar pneumonia at age 47, Diddy mourned her death via Instagram.
“For the last three days I’ve been trying to wake up out of this nightmare. But I haven’t,” Diddy wrote at the time. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without you baby. I miss you so much. Today I’m going to pay tribute to you, I’m going to try and find the words to explain our unexplainable relationship. We were more than best friends, we were more than soulmates. WE WERE SOME OTHER S–T!! And I miss you so much. Super Black Love.”
With Diddy’s personal life making headlines after two of his homes were raided on March 25 in connection to a sex trafficking investigation, the source tells Us that the rapper has changed dramatically over the years.
“I’m very surprised at how ugly and dark this is,” the insider says of the recent allegations. “We were close. Something has gone very wrong. This isn’t what he used to be about.”
Diddy was not at home when the raids were conducted and has not been charged or arrested in connection to the federal investigation. The musician’s sons Justin Combs, 30, whom he shares with ex Misa Hylton, and King were home at the time. TMZ reported that both were detained by police and released several hours later.
While Diddy has not directly addressed the raids, his lawyer released a statement on Wednesday, March 27.
“[Last week], there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences, attorney Aaron Dyer told Us in a statement. There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated. Mr. Combs was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities. Despite media speculation, neither Mr. Combs nor any of his family members have been arrested nor has their ability to travel been restricted in any way.”
The statement continued, “This unprecedented ambush — paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence — leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits. There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”
In the wake of the drama, past claims about Diddy’s house parties have resurfaced. One such clip from Usher’s 2016 appearance on The Howard Stern Show made the rounds on social media last month.
“I got a chance to see some things. … I don’t know if I could indulge and even understand what I was looking at,” Usher, 45, said in the clip, recalling his experience living with Diddy in the spring of 1994 when he was 15. “There was always girls around. You’d open a door and see somebody doing it or several people in a room having an orgy. You never knew what was going to happen.”
The home raids are not the first time Diddy has faced controversy. In late 2023, his ex-girlfriend Cassie (real name Casandra Ventura) filed a lawsuit accusing him of rape and repeated physical abuse throughout their relationship. (The exes dated on and off from 2007 to 2018.)
Diddy vehemently denied the allegations, and the lawsuit was settled out of court one day after Cassie’s filing.
Cassie’s rep reacted to the home raids in a statement to Us last month.
“We will always support law enforcement when it seeks to prosecute those that have violated the law,” the spokesperson said. “Hopefully, this is the beginning of a process that will hold Mr. Combs responsible for his depraved conduct.”
For more on Diddy, watch the above video and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.
