In the wake of the lawsuit filed by singer Cassie against Sean Combs, former members of the music group Danity Kane have expressed their support for Cassie.
The lawsuit alleges that Combs, also known as P Diddy, subjected Cassie to years of sexual and emotional abuse during their relationship and her time on his record label.
Cassie, born Casandra Ventura, met Combs in 2005 when she was 19, and the lawsuit claims that their relationship was marked by control and a “lifestyle of excessive alcohol and substance abuse.”
Members of Danity Kane, including Dawn Richard, have voiced their support for Cassie following these allegations.
She wrote: “Praying for Cassie and her family, for peace and healing.
“You are beautiful and brave.”
Another prominent member Aubrey O’Day reposted a headline on Instagram and wrote, “Been tryna tell y’all for years. Prayers up for this queen.”
In another post, Dawn Richard shared a clip from MTV’s reality TV show “Making The Band,” where Danity Kane was formed. The video depicted a heated exchange between Diddy and Aubrey O’Day, a member of Danity Kane, as they engaged in a yelling match. Diddy then stood up, questioning O’Day’s place in the group.
She added a caption to the clip that said: “If you think what made the cut was as ugly as it got… you’re wrong.”
O’Day went on to share another photo of P Diddy and referenced his song Lonely by writing: “He was right. It gets dark and lonely.”
The suit claims that Diddy “was prone to uncontrollable rage, and frequently beat Ms. Ventura savagely,” The New York Times first reported.
“These beatings were witnessed by Mr. Combs’ staff and employees of Bad Boy Entertainment and Mr. Combs’s related businesses, but no one dared to speak up against their frightening and ferocious boss.”
The Me & U singer released a statement saying she’s finally ready to speak out after years of silence.
“After years in silence and darkness, I am finally ready to tell my story, and to speak up on behalf of myself and for the benefit of other women who face violence and abuse in their relationships,” Cassie said.
“With the expiration of New York’s Adult Survivors Act fast approaching, it became clear that this was an opportunity to speak up about the trauma I have experienced and that I will be recovering from for the rest of my life.”
Combs denied the allegations, calling the suit baseless as part of Cassie’s attempt to seek a payday.
“Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations,” Comb’s attorney, Ben Brafman, said in a statement.
“For the past six months, Mr. Combs has been subjected to Ms. Venturea’s persistent demand of $30 million, under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship, which was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail.
“Despite withdrawing her initial threat, Ms. Ventura has not resorted to filing a lawsuit riddled with baseless and outrageous lies, aiming to tarnish Mr. Comb’s reputation and seeking a payday.”
Cassie’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, claims the parties spoke before the lawsuit was filed.
“Mr. Combs offered Ms. Ventura eight figures to silence her and prevent the filing of this lawsuit. She rejected his efforts,” Wigdor claims.
This isn’t the first instance of Danity Kane members discussing their challenging relationship with P Diddy. In December 2022, Aubrey O’Day claimed on an episode of the Call Her Daddy Podcast that she was dismissed from the label because she “wasn’t willing to do what was expected.”
“Not talent-wise, but in other areas,” she told the host.
“You know, I have such a love-hate [relationship] with it all because I don’t think I would’ve been able to be so successful in so many other areas had I not been trained under Diddy.
“He was the hardest person that you can work for, and it was torture. And not the work part of it, but the other stuff — mind games.”
In a 2018 interview with Cosmopolitan, members of the girl group Danity Kane stated that P Diddy would attempt “power moves” to assert his control over their careers.