Sean 'Diddy' Combs steps aside from TV network Revolt role amid sex abuse allegations

Music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has temporarily stepped down as chairman of his US TV network Revolt amid multiple sexual abuse allegations.

Revolt announced Combs' decision on social media Tuesday, which did not give a date for any return. The statement said Combs previously had “no operational or day-to-day role" at the network.

"This decision helps to ensure that Revolt remains steadfastly focused on our mission to create meaningful content for the culture and amplify the voices of all Black people throughout this country and African diaspora," the network said in the statement.

Earlier this month, R&B singer Cassie accused Combs of raping and beating her over the duration of their decades-long relationship, which began in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 37. 

The singer, whose real name is Cassie Ventura, alleged that Combs raped her when she tried to end the relationship in 2018.

One day after she filed a lawsuit, she and Combs reached a settlement to their "mutual satisfaction."

"We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love," Combs said at the time.

After the settlement, two more women came forward to accuse him of sexual abuse.  

Both suits were filed last week on the eve of the expiration of the Adult Survivors Act, a New York law permitting victims of sexual abuse a one-year window to file civil action regardless of the statute of limitations.

The suits claim acts of sexual assault, beatings and forced drugging allegedly committed in the early 1990s by Combs, then a rising figure in New York City's hip-hop community.

Combs has vehemently denied the allegations and has accused the two women of seeking to exploit the New York law that temporarily extended the statute of limitations.

Combs is among the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades. He is the founder of Bad Boy Records and a three-time Grammy winner who has worked with a slew of household names including Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and Usher.

This year, he released his fifth studio album The Love Album: Off the Grid, which earned two Grammy nominations this month. 

Story by Josh Salisbury: Evening Standard: