Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been heard on call for the first time since his arrest, as he spoke to his children for his 55th birthday.
The disgraced rapper was taken into custody in September on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
He is currently behind bars at a facility in Brooklyn after he was denied bail twice.
Combs took a call today with his son Justin Dior Combs, 30, in which he told all of his children that he is ‘looking forward to seeing them soon’.
He also spoke to his daughter Love, two, whom he shares with Dana Tran, plus D’Lila and Jessie, 17, Justin, Quincy, 33, and Christian, 27.
In the clip shared on Instagram, his children can be seen gathered around and singing Happy Birthday to him, with a cake on the table.
Diddy said: ‘I love y’all, I can’t wait to see y’all. I’m proud of y’all, especially the girls, all of y’all, but just for being strong, thank you for being strong.
‘Thank you for being by my side and supporting me.
‘I got the best family in the world.’
‘My birthday, I’m happy for you giving me this call, I’ll see you in a couple of days,’ he added.
‘I love you too, baby,’ he responded to Love’s declaration.
In addition to the aforementioned charges, Combs is also facing a number of civil lawsuits.
In the latest update, his legal team filed a motion yesterday asking the court to expedite the process of responding to the request to restrict statements made outside of court, citing one potential witness in particular.
According to TMZ, a man named Courtney Burgess has given multiple interviews in recent days, including speaking to them with his lawyer, Ariel Mitchell, on Thursday, and the I’ll Be Missing You hitmaker insisted his statements have been untrue and defamatory.
Ariel told TMZ that Courtney had been called to testify because he has, or has seen, salacious videos of the disgraced music mogul and his celebrity friends, but Combs’ lawyers specifically cited information in articles from another outlet that erroneously stated the rapper’s so-called ‘Freak Offs’ involved ‘men’ and ‘parties’.
According to the legal documents, the government has been investigating the rapper for almost a year and knows the alleged Freak Offs didn’t involve men, minors, or parties, and by not treating such claims as an ‘extortion scam’, online conspiracies are being further fuelled, and the lawyers argued it is growing impossible for their client to receive a fair trial as a result.
Meanwhile, it has been claimed that the shamed musician timed his ‘Freak Off’ parties to coincide with the biggest events in showbiz to ensure his alleged orgies were as full as possible of A-listers.
Documents and videos reportedly seen by the New York Post are said to show Combs held at least three raucous sex parties after major events in the showbiz calendar.
The Post said it had viewed footage from star-studded afterparties hosted by Diddy following the 2004 and 2005 MTV VMAs in Miami – and one following the 2005 Super Bowl in Jacksonville, among others.
It said one clip taken after Combs hosted the 2005 VMAs reportedly shows the afterparty descend into a wild bash, with two men allegedly captured on camera having sex with a young girl who had powder under her nose.
In another clip, a couple is reportedly seen having sex on a table as others look on.
There is no suggestion the celebrities at the party were aware of what it apparently descended into as they had left before the videos were taken.
Prosecutors have alleged Combs’ ‘Freak Offs’, which were sometimes days long, involved women who had been blackmailed or coerced into taking part.
Combs has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing since he was arrested on a federal indictment two months ago.
He is being held without bail after pleading not guilty.
And a few weeks ago, he insisted the ‘truth will prevail’ after six new civil lawsuits were filed, with four including male accusers and one alleged victim stating he was 16 years old when he was invited to one of Combs’ parties in 1998.
In a statement, the musician’s lawyers said: ‘The press conference and 1-800 number that preceded today’s barrage of filings were clear attempts to garner publicity.
‘Mr Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts, their legal defences, and the integrity of the judicial process.
‘In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone — adult or minor, man or woman.’
Combs will face a jury in spring.