Sean Combs: The Reckoning is one of the latest titles that’s set to be released amid the 2025 Netflix schedule. The docuseries – which is produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and directed by Alexandria Stapleton – tracks Diddy over the course of the six days leading up to his arrest in September 2024. For the production, the creative team made use of footage that was filmed with Diddy’s knowledge. However, the “Bad Boy for Life” rapper is now accusing Fiddy and co. of stealing that video to use for their own purposes.
Diddy Calls Out 50 Cent And Netflix Over New Documentary Series
The four-part series on Sean Combs chronicles his rise to fame as well as his fall from grace and includes a host of interviews from those who’ve been in his orbit over the years. On December 1, the first full trailer for the show was released (days after that teaser shocked fans who didn’t think the doc was actually happening). This latest trailer ultimately revealed the new footage featuring Combs. In a statement, Combs and co. took aim at Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos and others for supposedly using the footage without permission:
Netflix’s so-called ‘documentary’ is a shameful hit piece. Today’s GMA teaser confirms that Netflix relied on stolen footage that was never authorized for release. As Netflix and CEO Ted Sarandos know, Mr. Combs has been amassing footage since he was 19 to tell his own story, in his own way. It is fundamentally unfair, and illegal, for Netflix to misappropriate that work.
Per comments, which were shared with Variety, Diddy is claiming that he’d planned to use the footage for his own purposes. On that note, the rapper and his team declare that the aforementioned streamer is not in the position to use the b-roll for its production:
It is equally staggering that Netflix handed creative control to Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson – a longtime adversary with a personal vendetta who has spent too much time slandering Mr. Combs.
This isn’t the first time Sean Combs has responded to a documentary about his life and career. Back in January, Peacock’s Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy was released and the rapper’s legal team asserted that the production contained “unchecked claims and provide platforms for baseless conspiracy theories without accountability or evidence.” One key difference with this latest doc is that 50 Cent is involved, and Combs seems to take issue with the fact that his “longtime adversary” is chronicling his exploits:
It is equally staggering that Netflix handed creative control to Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson – a longtime adversary with a personal vendetta who has spent too much time slandering Mr. Combs. Beyond the legal issues, this is a personal breach of trust. Mr. Combs has long respected Ted Sarandos and admired the legacy of Clarence Avant. For Netflix to give his life story to someone who has publicly attacked him for decades feels like an unnecessary and deeply personal affront. At minimum, he expected fairness from people he respected.
Jackson has been vocal about Diddy’s legal issues since they began and previously revealed his intention to make a documentary about his rap rival in 2024. Since then, the G-Unit alum has discussed his reason for making the doc, and Alexandria Stapleton addressed the claims about the footage being stolen.
How Did The Reckoning’s Director Respond To The Claims About The Stolen Footage?
Alexandria Stapleton addressed the claims about the footage in her Sean Combs doc, as she released a statement to Variety as well. The Emmy-winning documentarian – whose credits include SoCal Connected, Corman’s World and Pride – contended that the footage was not unlawfully obtained:
It came to us, we obtained the footage legally and have the necessary rights. We moved heaven and earth to keep the filmmaker’s identity confidential. One thing about Sean Combs is that he’s always filming himself, and it’s been an obsession throughout the decades. We also reached out to Sean Combs’ legal team for an interview and comment multiple times, but did not hear back.
As for 50 Cent, he explained earlier this week that his reason for making the docuseries had nothing to do with his lengthy beef with Diddy. The “Candy Shop” performer said he also felt compelled to release the doc, given that few influential figures in the hip-hop industry were speaking out against Diddy’s actions. All of this comes after months of Fiddy trolling Diddy over his legal woes and even declaring that he would work to ensure he wouldn’t be pardoned. Check out the trailer The Reckoning below:
The release of Sean Combs: The Reckoning coincides with its subject’s incarceration at FCI Fort Dix, where he’s serving out the remainder of his four-year sentence. Now that he’s voiced his dissatisfaction with the docuseries, time will tell if he and his team decide to take concrete legal action 50 Cent and co. For now, know that the series will be available in its entirety to Netflix subscription holders starting on December 2.
