O-Town claim they have “nothing to do” with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
2000s boy band O-Town have distanced themselves from Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs. Their previous proximity to the Bad Boy founder has led to promoters and booking agents being hesitant to work with them. Their limited association with him has led to not only brand damage but also financial losses.
The boy band became prominent after the third season of Making the Band in 2002, which heavily involved Combs in its later iterations. During the early 2000s, they never thought about how the musician’s association with the show could potentially affect them, they have now claimed.
In a recent interview they insisted that their work has never involved Combs. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, band member Erik-Michael Estrada stated, “We already inherited our own infamous producer/manager [Pearlman] from our version of Making the Band, and now another version and its mogul is affecting us.”
Speaking about their version of Making The Band, which didn’t involve Combs, he continued, “For our livelihood to be impacted this many years after the brand was moved to him is so unfortunate.” The group has released two projects since Estrada, Jacob Underwood, Trevor Penick, and Dan Miller reunited in 2011.
Last year, Combs’ arrest and Aubrey O’Day’s tell-all interviews shed light on Making The Band and brought it to the forefront of the scandal, putting all former participants into question. As such, one of O-Town’s bookings was cancelled. The performance would have seen them perform at a party for a billion-dollar company.
In their interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the band’s agent, Matt Rafal, detailed why the company pulled the offer, explaining, “The offer was pulled due to the perception of the group being attached to Diddy. We made it clear O-Town’s Making the Band had no association with Diddy, but the company worried guests may be confused.”
He also explained that offers for less serious events are even being affected, adding, “Since the Diddy news, we’ve received questions and hesitancy from several talent buyers, especially for soft tickets like fairs and theme parks, as well as city-funded events.”
O-Town singer Jacob Underwood emphasised how they know nothing about Combs. Far from it, they are one of the only acts from the show, still together, that never interacted with him, clarifying, “Of all the bands in Making the Band, we’re the only one not tied to him. The more people confuse us with a Diddy band and post our pictures with his story, the more it goes against us. We make a living touring and can’t afford to have [bookers] Googling us to find the latest Diddy clickbait.”
While they remain grateful for the show that brought them together, Estrada says the subsequent series of Making the Band became “the Diddy show” and wasn’t focused on finding talent.