Sean Combs’ mother, Janice Combs, is pushing back against claims made in the Netflix docuseries Sean Combs: The Reckoning, calling the series “intentionally misleading” and “offensive.”
In a statement provided exclusively to Deadline (Dec. 6), Janice said the program contains “falsehoods” about her relationship with her son and his upbringing.
“I am writing this statement to correct some of the lies presented in the Netflix Sean Combs: The Reckoning,” she said. “These inaccuracies regarding my son Sean’s upbringing and family life [are] intentionally done to mislead viewers and further harm our reputation.”
Among the claims disputed by Janice is a moment in the docuseries where former Bad Boy Records executive Kirk Burrowes alleges that Sean Combs slapped his mother after the tragic City College event in 1991 — an incident that resulted in nine deaths. Janice calls that allegation “patently false” and “outrageous.”
“That was a very sad day for all of us,” she said. “For [Burrowes] to use this tragedy and incorporate fake narratives to further his prior failed and current attempt to gain what was never his — Bad Boy Records — is wrong.”
Janice Combs also addressed the portrayal of her parenting in the series, denying accusations of abuse. “In the documentary, I am portrayed as an abusive parent. This is untrue,” she wrote. “I raised Sean with love and hard work, not abuse… Sean has always been an industrious, goal-oriented, overachiever.”
Sean Combs: The Reckoning premiered Dec. 2 on Netflix and was executive produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.
The four-part docuseries chronicles the rise and downfall of the music mogul, who was sentenced in October to four years in prison after being found guilty on two charges related to transportation for prostitution. Combs, 56, is currently incarcerated at Fort Dix FCI in New Jersey.
Netflix has defended the production, telling Deadline earlier this week: “This is not a hit piece or an act of retribution. Curtis Jackson is an executive producer but does not have creative control. No one was paid to participate.”
Janice Combs concluded her statement with a demand for accountability: “I am requesting that these distortions, falsehoods, and misleading statements be publicly retracted.”