Diddy was called out by his former publicist this week. Rob Shuter publicly reflected on his time working with the mogul amid ongoing allegations of rape, sex trafficking and abuse.
Shuter, who represented Diddy in the early 2000s, penned a personal essay for The Hollywood Reporter, grappling with the moral weight of his past proximity to the embattled music executive.
“With Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs facing a cascade of allegations—including rape, sexual assault, sex trafficking and physical abuse—all of which he has denied, I’m left with a question I can no longer avoid: What’s more damning? Not knowing? Or not wanting to know?” he wrote.
The former PR strategist, now the host of the “Naughty But Nice” podcast, admitted that he never witnessed any of the alleged misconduct but questioned whether his ambition had blinded him to the warning signs.
“When I say I didn’t see the alleged behavior, I mean it,” Shuter said. “But I also understand the ways I may have refused to. That refusal didn’t come from malice. It came from ambition. From awe. From the seductive hum of being needed by someone the world adored. It’s astonishing what we’ll fail to see when fame is in the room.”
Shuter described his role during that time as being laser-focused on building Combs’s public image, launching brands and securing magazine covers.
But in hindsight, he said, “What I was actually doing was managing a mirage. And like so many others in the entertainment ecosystem—agents, producers, stylists, executives, managers—I learned to look away.”
Shuter concluded his piece with the hope that the legal process reveals the whole truth. Diddy has denied all allegations against him, which include multiple lawsuits and a federal investigation.
Diddy is currently on trial for one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and two counts of transporting individuals across state lines for prostitution.
He has denied all allegations.