Sean Combs is pushing back forcefully against the upcoming Netflix docuseries Sean Combs: The Reckoning, calling the project “an unfair and illegal hit job” and accusing the streamer of relying on “stolen footage that was never authorized for release.” The series, produced by 50 Cent and directed by Alexandria Stapleton, is set to premiere globally on December 2.
A spokesperson for Combs released a sharply worded statement criticizing both the documentary and the platform distributing it. The rep insists that Netflix lifted personal video archives that Combs has been gathering since he was nineteen, footage he intended to use for his own autobiographical project. The statement also singles out Ted Sarandos, saying Combs expected “fairness” from someone he had long respected.
When asked about Combs’ claim of stolen material, Netflix directed inquiries to Stapleton, who maintains that the production team secured every frame legally. “It came to us, we obtained the footage legally and have the necessary rights,” she said. “We also reached out to Sean Combs’ legal team for interviews and comment multiple times, but did not receive any response. One thing about Sean Combs is that he has always filmed himself, and it has been an obsession for decades.”
Tensions escalated after Netflix released a new teaser showing Combs on a phone call recorded six days before his twenty twenty four arrest. The clip features Combs saying, “We need to find someone who will work with us who has worked in the dirtiest of dirty businesses. We are losing.” His spokesperson says the excerpt was taken out of context and insists some of the included recordings were private discussions with attorneys that were never meant for the public.
The statement also calls out 50 Cent directly, describing him as “a longtime adversary with a personal vendetta who has spent years slandering Mr Combs” and questioning why Netflix allowed him to shape a project centered on someone he has publicly feuded with for decades.
In Combs’ words, the docuseries is “a shameful hit piece” driven by sensationalism. “Netflix is plainly desperate to exploit every minute of Mr Combs’ life to feed a never ending media frenzy,” the statement reads. “No rights in that material were ever granted to Netflix or any outside party. It is fundamentally unfair and illegal for Netflix to misappropriate that work.”
The spokesperson goes further, calling the project “a personal breach of trust,” noting Combs’ admiration for the late Clarence Avant and his previous respect for Sarandos. “For Netflix to hand his story to someone who has publicly attacked him for decades feels unnecessary and deeply personal.”
As of now, Netflix stands by the project and its rights to the footage, while Combs’ team continues to challenge those claims. The dispute is unfolding in real time, setting the stage for a contentious premiere of The Reckoning.
