Janice Combs denies abuse claims while Netflix insists The Reckoning is ‘not a hit piece’
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ mother, Janice Combs, has publicly blasted Netflix’s new docuseries The Reckoning, accusing the four-part project of warping her family history for effect.
The series, which dropped this week, traces Combs’ rise, fall, and the growing list of allegations surrounding his behaviour, but Janice says the show leans on “inaccuracies” rather than truth.
In a statement to Rolling Stone, she rejected suggestions that she was an abusive parent or that her relationship with her son was strained, calling the claims “intentionally misleading” and harmful. She said she raised Combs as a single mother juggling multiple jobs, insisting she offered him “love and hard work, not abuse.”
She also dismissed comments from Tim Patterson, featured in the series as a childhood friend, as “not truthful and salacious,” arguing he used the platform to promote the show rather than portray reality.
Janice further denied long-time Bad Boy executive Kirk Burrowes’ allegation that Combs once slapped her after the 1991 City College tragedy, labelling the story “patently false” and accusing the docuseries of exploiting real grief for drama.
Netflix, however, has pushed back against her claims. In a statement, the streamer said the accusations about the production were “false,” stressing that the series has “no ties to any past conversations between Sean Combs and Netflix.”
They added that footage leading up to Combs’ recent indictment and arrest was “legally obtained,” and rejected suggestions that The Reckoning is a hit piece or revenge project.
While Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson is listed as an executive producer, Netflix said he “does not have creative control,” and confirmed that “no one was paid to participate.”
Combs is currently serving a 50-month prison sentence on charges related to prostitution.
With family members and filmmakers now publicly contradicting each other, The Reckoning has already become part of the story it set out to tell.
