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Like this article? Keep independent journalism alive. Support celebrity.land<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n How hard is it to say that it\u2019s wrong <\/span>for a man to knock a woman to the ground<\/span><\/a>, drag her across the floor and kick her repeatedly?<\/span><\/p>\n For some famous Black men lately, unfortunately, that appears to be too difficult a task.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Culture: What’s New And Streaming On Hulu In April<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Each one has their professed reasons why \u2014 claims of ignorance, the significance of legacy, racial unity or flat-out pity \u2014 but they all underscore the underlying motivation: They simply don\u2019t care enough about violence against women to take even the most minimalist public stance against it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n They certainly won\u2019t go against another famous Black man getting out of prison sooner rather than later.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In a recent interview, Usher was asked about <\/span>Diddy<\/span>, who is currently serving<\/a> a 50-month sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix, following a <\/span>July 2025 conviction<\/span><\/a> on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think certain people are prosecuted and maybe not recognized for the greatness that they offer,\u201d Usher <\/span>said<\/span><\/a> in the interview for the Forbes series,\u00a0<\/span>The Enterprise Zone<\/span><\/a>. \u201cI don\u2019t have anything negative to say about Sean Combs. My experience was not what the world has seen and how he\u2019s been, you know, misrepresented.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Culture: This New Rom-Com Could Change Things For Black Cinema \u2014 If Enough People Support It<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Now, in fairness to Usher, Diddy has been in his life since he was a child and has served as a mentor and collaborator, so, understandably, he might choose to refrain from speaking ill of him, conviction or not, and public standing be damned.<\/span><\/p>\n However, did he have to say, \u201c<\/span>how he\u2019s been, you know, misrepresented.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n And \u201cprosecuted\u201d as if Puffy is some kind of activist?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not saying that every man is perfect,\u201d Usher continued. \u201cI\u2019m not saying that all of us don\u2019t have flaws. But I can\u2019t with any sense of humanity not recognize the valuable contributions that this man made for us as Black entrepreneurs, for us as people who transition culture and ideas into something that\u2019s tangible and becomes a business. So many people benefited from what he created. And I acknowledge that, and that\u2019s why I see him as legacy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Culture: Diddy Showed Us Who He Is. His Trial Verdict Doesn\u2019t Change That.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Usher cites his humanity to explain his defense of Diddy, yet goes on to talk about the Bad Boy founder\u2019s entrepreneurial and business successes \u2014 things that have absolutely nothing to do with anyone\u2019s <\/span>humanity<\/span><\/em>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Meanwhile, he can\u2019t be bothered to comment on Diddy\u2019s behavior that denied Casandra \u201cCassie\u201d Ventura her humanity. Cassie, Diddy\u2019s ex-partner and former record label boss, <\/span>filed a lawsuit<\/span><\/a> against him in 2023, accusing him of physical violence and ****** abuse. The lawsuit galvanized a movement of survivors.<\/span><\/p>\n Let Usher tell it, because of what Diddy has accomplished in his life and the apparent symbolism behind it for all of Black people, we should tacitly acknowledge his \u201cflaws\u201d but focus more on how \u201cso many people benefited from what he created.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I wish Usher had been asked about all of the artists cheated out of their publishing in a follow-up question, but even so, quite a few Black folks agree with him. It\u2019s why they think the Dr. Huxtable character on \u201cThe Cosby Show\u201d matters more than <\/span>Bill Cosby\u2019s alleged crimes<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Celebrity: Here\u2019s What To Know About Sean \u2018Diddy\u2019 Combs\u2019 *** Trafficking Trial<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Considering Usher\u2019s public <\/span>support<\/span><\/a> in 2024 of Def Jam founder <\/span>Russell Simmons<\/span><\/a>, who has been <\/span>accused<\/span><\/a> by more than 20 women of ****** misconduct in incidents spanning from 1983 to 2014, it\u2019s my fault for expecting more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m sure, as he smiled for the selfie with Simmons following a yoga session in Bali, he was thinking about \u201clegacy\u201d over the humanity of Simmons\u2019 accusers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It will always puzzle me why some people feel that a Black man\u2019s accrued celebrity, fame and purported symbolic victories matter more than the Black women who were physically and sexually abused along the way. What\u2019s even more mind-boggling is the need for some to portray the violent man in these cases as a victim.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n During an interview<\/a> with\u00a0<\/span>Cam\u2019ron on his<\/span>\u00a0\u201cTalk With Flee\u201d<\/span>podcast<\/span>, J. Cole shared why he isn\u2019t interested in publicly revisiting his altercation with Diddy at a 2013 MTV VMAs afterparty.<\/span><\/p>\n Culture: Toxic Famous Men Deserve What\u2019s Coming To Them<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Cam\u2019ron asked J. Cole about a longstanding rumor of a fight with Diddy, and though he confirmed it happened, he noted that after recording a podcast about the incident \u201clike a year and a half ago,\u201d he opted not to release it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe was gonna put it out, thinking like, \u2018Yo, it\u2019s cool, enough time has passed, he ain\u2019t going to feel no way,\u2019\u201d <\/span>J. Cole explained<\/span>. \u201cAnd then all the **** happened with him. I was just like, \u2018Nah.\u2019 It felt like **** near kicking a man when he\u2019s down. It would have gave the news more ammo and the world more ammo to just destroy this dude. It wasn\u2019t a good time. I want to tell [the story] because it\u2019s ill, but it happened. \u2026 It did happen, but the stories be wrong. The narratives around it be wrong.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Cole is free to tell his story or not, but to frame his decision under the pretense of not \u201ckicking a man when he\u2019s down\u201d and giving \u201cthe news\u201d and \u201cthe world\u201d more \u201cammo to just destroy this dude\u201d is frustratingly dense considering Diddy\u2019s own actions \u2014 captured on video and proven in court \u2014 had already provided all the ammunition necessary.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t expect much from a person who makes it known that \u201c<\/span>he hasn\u2019t done a lot of reading<\/span><\/a>,\u201d but I foolishly expect better excuses from a man over 40.<\/span><\/p>\n The only one to come up with a half-decent explanation for publicly supporting this monstrous man is a City Girl.<\/span><\/p>\n In a sit-down interview with Charlamagne Tha God, Yung Miami addressed her relationship with Diddy and why she <\/span>shared a character letter<\/span><\/a> in support of him to the judge for sentencing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Asked about the negative reaction to the letter, especially in connection with the release of\u00a0<\/span>footage<\/span><\/a> that showed Diddy physically attacking Cassie, she <\/span>explained<\/span><\/a>: \u201cI think I wrote a letter for a changed man. I think that the man that I met and that I experienced was changed. I\u2019m not gonna justify some bull **** or like, support some ********. I felt like the person that I met was changed. It was a different experience, so that\u2019s why I wrote the letter.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I may not buy what she\u2019s selling about him being a changed man, but notice she didn\u2019t describe him as persecuted by the justice system, fans or the media, nor did she pretend she hadn\u2019t heard about a video the rest of the world saw.<\/span><\/p>\n She also agreed that her fans had a right to question her allegiance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In the coming months, more men like Usher and J. Cole will try to rehabilitate Diddy in similar fashion. Weak caveats about his grievances with no real interrogation of the harm he brought to \u201cthe culture.\u201d It won\u2019t be long before he\u2019s released, professing to be a changed man and ready to claw his way toward a comeback.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n