Suzi Siegel, former assistant to Sean “Diddy” Combs, opened up about her experience working with him. While appearing on CNN on Monday, May 20, Siegel reacted to the graphic surveillance footage that recently resurfaced of Diddy, 54, assaulting his ex Cassie Ventura.
“Obviously, I saw it with the rest of America today. But when I saw it, I knew that it was something that he could be capable of,” Siegel said, adding that she did not believe in his apology and noting “there was not one cell in my body that was surprised” by his abusive behavior toward Ventura.
However, Siegel pointed out that she “never saw him speak harshly to [Ventura] or be abusive toward her or anything like that,” when she worked as his assistant from 2008 to 2009.
“I would say that I was around him a lot and I got a feeling for who he was,” Siegel explained. “I didn’t see anything that could get him in trouble. But I think that [there’s a] power dynamic in a situation like that — especially her, at the beginning of her career, so young and beautiful and talented. … I rode in limos with them, I went to parties with them. I guess what I would say is, even though I never saw anything that could corroborate what’s in that lawsuit and what we just saw, there was not one cell in my body that was surprised.”
Siegel’s recent interview took place one day after Diddy posted an Instagram video apologizing for his violent behavior.
“I was f**ked up. I mean I hit rock bottom, but I make no excuses,” Diddy said in the clip. “My behavior on that video is inexcusable. … I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it, I’m disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help, going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry, but I’m committed to be a better man. Each and every day.”
In the surveillance footage from 2016, Combs was seen dragging and beating Ventura. The two had an on-and-off relationship for more than a decade until they split in 2018. In November 2023, Ventura filed a lawsuit against Diddy for sexual and physical abuse. However, they quickly settled the lawsuit, and he denied all abuse allegations against him.
Four months later, federal law enforcement raided Diddy’s homes in Los Angeles and Miami as part of a sex trafficking investigation.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.