Sean 'Diddy' Combs thanks his children for their support as they sing 'Happy Birthday'
As Sean "Diddy" Combs rang in his 55th birthday in jail, his children shared their support for the hip-hop mogul, who is accused by the U.S. government of operating a "criminal enterprise" for decades.
In an Instagram video shared jointly Monday by Quincy Brown, Justin Dior Combs, Christian "King" Combs, Chance Combs, D'Lila Combs, Jessie Combs and Love Combs, six of his seven children are seen sitting around a red velvet Bundt cake. As 2-year-old Love sings "Happy Birthday" to Sean Combs over the phone, her older siblings encourage her to finish the song.
"I love y'all. I love y'all so much," Sean Combs says on the other end of the call. "I can't wait to see y'all. And I just want to say I'm proud of y'all, especially the girls. I mean, all of y'all. Thanks for being strong. Thank you all for being strong and thank you all for being my by side and supporting me. I love y'all. I've got the best family in the world."
He continues, "My birthday, I'm happy. Thanks to you all for giving me this call."
The kids promise to see their dad "in a couple of days." Daughter Chance Combs, who is absent from the celebration but participating via a call on a different phone, also says she will see him "soon."
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Sean Combs has been incarcerated in the Special Housing Unit at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center since his Sept. 17 arraignment on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. Investigators say the 55-year-old elaborately schemed to use his finances and status in the entertainment industry to "fulfill his sexual desires" in a "recurrent and widely known" pattern of abuse.
He has maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty to all federal criminal charges. He has also denied any wrongdoing alleged in dozens of civil lawsuits against him over the past year that level rape, assault and trafficking claims against him that date back decades.
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This family video comes nearly two weeks after four of the older Combs children shared a joint statement on social media in which they backed their father in the face of his mounting criminal and legal issues.
"The past month has devastated our family," the statement, co-signed by Quincy Brown and Christian, Jessie and D'Lila Combs. said.
"Many have judged both him and us based on accusations, conspiracy theories, and false narratives that have spiraled into absurdity on social media. We stand united, supporting you every step of the way. We hold onto the truth, knowing it will prevail, and nothing will break the strength of our family. WE MISS YOU & LOVE YOU DAD."
Janice Smalls Combs, Sean Combs' mother, also shared a statement in support of her son last month.
"It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth, but for a narrative created out of lies," Smalls Combs said in a note shared by her lawyer on Instagram. "To bear witness what seems to be like a public lynching of my son before he has had the opportunity to prove his innocence is a pain too unbearable to put into words. Like every human being, my son deserves to have his day in court, to finally share his side, and to prove his innocence."
"I am not here to portray my son as perfect because he is not. He has made mistakes in his past, as we all have. "My son may not have been entirely truthful about certain things," she said, going on to reference 2016 hotel surveillance footage CNN released in May showing Combs kicking, hitting and dragging his then-girlfriend Casandra Ventura near the elevators of a hotel.
"Not being entirely straightforward about one issue does not mean my son is guilty of the repulsive allegations and the grave charges leveled against him," Smalls Combs said. She later added, "Watching the world make jokes and laugh at my son's life crumbling before our eyes is something I can never forget. It is truly agonizing to watch the world turn against my son so quickly and easily over lies and misconceptions, without ever hearing his side or affording him the opportunity to present his side.
"These lies thrown at him are motivated by those seeking a financial gain, and not justice."
The statement ends with Smalls Combs saying: "My son is not the monster they have painted him to be, and he deserves the chance to tell his side. I can only pray that I am alive to see him speak his truth and be vindicated."
Combs' attempts thus far to be released from jail until his May 5 trial have been denied. His lawyers are seeking an appeals court judgment that would overturn a Sept. 18 decision to deny his request to be released from jail on conditions that include a $50 million bond.