Sean Combs: The Reckoning showcases another rich, famous person doing terrible things
By Ben Olson
Reader Staff
When historian James Truslow Adams defined the “American Dream” in 1931, he emphasized that it was “not a dream of motor cars and high wages,” but rather a “social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.”
While originally the “American Dream” emphasized democracy, liberty and equality to reach those lofty goals, more recently it has been defined by achieving material wealth and fame, no matter how many are crushed along the way.
Enter Sean Combs: The Reckoning, a four-episode series directed by Alexandria Stapleton that chronicles the rise and fall of hip-hop mogul and genuinely awful person Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The project was produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, a fellow performer who has feuded with Combs for decades and seemingly gets his revenge with this limited series.
While it might be easy to dismiss The Reckoning as a four-hour-long diss track or revenge packaged into a quasi-journalistic form, the series succeeds in explaining how Combs rose in the hop-hop world, highlighting the many people he ruined and pushed aside. It also portrays Combs’ disgusting, illegal behavior, which ultimately led to his conviction on charges of transporting people across state lines for the purpose of prostitution and resulting in a four-year prison sentence.
The series opens with footage of Combs six days before his September 2024 arrest, as he argues with his lawyer on the phone from a New York City hotel room about the direction of the case. It’s clear that he considers himself the victim, but also that he sees the cell door closing in his future. Seeing him candidly referring to the ongoing investigation against him in this setting is a jarring start to the show, which launches into Combs’ entry into fame, fortune and infamy.
While he originally wanted to be a dancer and entertainer, Combs began interning for Uptown Records in New York in 1990. Uptown was a label that included early names to the hip-hop scene, including Heavy D and the Boyz, Mary J. Blige, Al B. Sure! and Jodeci. Combs received some of his first negative publicity after a tragedy known as the “City College stampede” in 1991, when nine people were crushed and dozens injured after he overpromoted a charity basketball event — drawing 5,000 people to a gym that could hold only about half that number.
While Combs faced no criminal charges, a lawsuit later found that he, along with Heavy D and City College, were negligent and liable for monetary damages.
After feuding with Uptown’s founder Andre Harrell, Combs broke off to form his own label called Bad Boy Records, where he signed up-and-coming rapper The Notorious B.I.G., a breakout superstar who helped make the label a household name.
Now with his own record label and a growing list of artists, Combs began to come into his own as a ruthless, unscrupulous businessman who would stop at nothing to get ahead — while also creating his own music to become a self-engineered hip-hop star.
Throughout the four episodes, viewers watch as Combs devolves into a monster. Numerous sexual assault allegations are reported against him and, several times over, Combs would deliberately target the significant other of a fellow rapper, court her and steal her away.
Also taking up a lot of real estate in the documentary is the feud between East Coast and West Coast rappers, pitting Biggie against such names as Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight of Death Row Records — a rivalry that seemed to be fueled by Combs himself (Tupac and Biggie actually started out as friends, but Combs’ jealousy over their talent seemed to wedge them apart). Ultimately, first Tupac then Biggie were killed in drive-by shootings.
The Reckoning doesn’t go as far as to pin the crime on Combs’ shoulders, but makes very clear insinuations that Combs’ influence egged on the murders.
The hard parts of the series to watch are CCTV footage of Combs physically abusing his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a hotel in 2016. Ventura later settled the sexual assault case against Combs in 2023, leading to more than 100 other allegations against the rap mogul.
Where the series falls short is how it handles Combs’ so-called “freak-off” parties — originally known as “White Parties” because all the participants were expected to wear white. The freak-offs were held at Combs’ house, mansions, luxury hotels and yachts, and drew a number of celebrities over the years including Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, Justin Bieber, Chevy Chase, Mariah Carey and many others.
The freak-offs began to be associated with illicit activities, including heavy drug use, non-consensual sexual encounters and physical violence. Various testimonies describe instances of abuse, kidnapping, threats of violence and rape. During federal investigations into Combs’ alleged sex trafficking activities, authorities seized more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil from his residences, where they were used in orgies.
While the series goes into detail about many aspects of Combs’ life, it presents the freak-off parties as a sort of afterthought without mentioning many of the celebrities who attended them. This doesn’t honor the dozens of sexual assault survivors especially well.
Overall, The Reckoning isn’t pleasant to watch, but it is perhaps necessary because it offers an up-close picture of the kind of monster Diddy really is. The series ends with some justice, as Diddy is sentenced to more than four years in prison for his actions. With President Donald Trump confirming to reporters that Diddy asked him for a pardon, it’s anyone’s guess how long the rapper will actually live behind bars.
The Reckoning — much like the documentary series Mr. McMahon and, frankly, Trump’s entire history as president — showcases how rich, powerful men often avoid consequences for their criminal actions, but every once in a while the hammer of justice comes down on them.
Stream it on Netflix.
