Influencer condemned for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs blackface Halloween costume
A pair of college students have received significant backlash on social media after dressing as Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and a bottle of baby oil for Halloween. The male involved controversially wore blackface for the racist costume. He also wore a red bow tie, white trousers and a back blazer.
The woman he was dressed with went as a bottle of Baby Oil. She wore a pink jumper with a printed-out sign that read ‘Johnson’s Baby,’ which was stuck to the front of her chest. The baby oil is a reference to 1,000 bottles of the item being allegedly found at Combs’ property during a police raid. A video of the couple went viral on TikTok on October 27th, after a weekend of people celebrating Halloween worldwide.
The video is titled, “How the group chat dressed for Halloween”, featured other, more conventional outfits, such as Woody and Jessie from Toy Story. It has since been deleted, but not before it received a lot of backlash, as people began to comment about the insensitive nature of the costume, both because of the severe allegations currently facing Combs and the use of blackface.
The original poster of the video is currently unknown. Some viewers believe those in the video are connected with a University in America, which has confirmed that it will be conducting its own research to ensure that those affiliated are located. “The use of blackface and any actions making light of sexual assault are deeply offensive,” said the University, “And have no place in a respectful, caring community.”
The costume was a reference to the barrage of accusations which are currently being made against Combs. The disgraced music mogul has been arrested and charged with sex trafficking and racketeering and has also had over 100 people come forward, stating they were victims of sexual assault at the hands of Combs. He denies all accusations of wrongdoing, plans to plead not guilty, and is set to face trial in May, 2025.
When police searched Combs’s homes before his arrest, a number of items were uncovered, including 1000 bottles of baby oil. While it remains up for debate why Combs had so much baby oil, his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, offered up a bizarre explanation.
“I don’t think it was 1000. I think it was a lot,” he said in an interview with The New York Post, “I mean there is a Costco right down the street. I think Americans buy in bulk, as we know.”
Combs is currently being held in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Centre, where he will stay until his trial, which is set to take place next year. He has not commented directly on the ongoing case but has maintained his innocence through his lawyer.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.