Diddy stripped of Howard University honorary doctorate
Over the last year, Diddy has been at the centre of several controversies, including footage being released of him attacking his former girlfriend, as well as many lawsuits and a number of his former collaborations coming forward with confessions of his behaviour.
Now, Howard University has followed up on Diddy’s dismantling by stripping the former rapper, producer and media mogul of his honorary doctorate, noting that they do not condone the kind of behaviour and crimes that he has been accused of.
A statement given by the university’s board of trustees read, “Mr. Combs’ behavior, as captured in a recently released video, is so fundamentally incompatible with Howard University’s core values and beliefs.”
It went on to say that Diddy, legally known as Sean Combs, is “no longer worthy” of holding the highest honour achievable at the academic institution. He explained that he would no longer be invited to any special events held on campus.
Diddy had been awarded the degree back in 2014, but now it has been revoked along with any privileges he previously held as a result of its acceptance. The ex-rapper had also been involved in an incident on Howard’s campus with a number of students coming forward to give statements.
According to the students, Diddy had removed his belt and beaten a woman with it. One of them stated, “She would tense up [when Combs appeared]. He just had a weird control thing. I felt like she was fearful.”
Diddy had previously announced that he would donate $1million to Howard University when he won the 2022 BET Lifetime Achievement Awards and handed over the money the following years. In a statement, he wrote at the time, “As someone who attended Howard University and values the transformative experience of historically Black colleges. It remains crucial that we strive to protect and uphold their legacy.”
Now, though, Diddy has had his honorary doctorate taken away and will no longer be affiliated with Howard. In the most recent Diddy news, several former employees of his fashion house have come forward to say how “toxic” the work environment was.
An anonymous employee explained that Combs had told them, “When you speak to me, you should imagine that you’re talking to Karl Lagerfeld. Anything I say, assume that it’s coming from Karl Lagerfeld.” After grabbing the employees face, the employee quickly started looking for another job after the realised that Diddy expected his employees to “idolise him”.