The former bodyguard for Sean “Diddy” Combs is speaking out after video footage of the embattled musician beating his ex-girlfriend Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura was released.
Mr. Bonds claimed he witnessed Mr. Combs become violent “four or five times” toward his ex-partners, naming specifically Ms. Ventura and the late Kim Porter.
Ms. Porter was a model and actress who had three children with Mr. Combs. The two split in 2007, and she later passed away in 2017.
Mr. Bonds, who worked for the singer over a decade ago, went on to call him a master manipulator who used his position of power to get away with his actions for so long.
“He’s a king manipulator. He can manipulate anything and anyone. Money and power is what he’s all about. ... He has a god syndrome,” said Mr. Bonds.
When asked how he felt when he saw the security footage, Mr. Bonds said he wasn’t shocked, adding that Mr. Combs displayed deep-rooted anger when being physically violent in that manner.
“It didn’t surprise me when I saw it because I’ve seen things of this nature before. I’ve gotten in between things of this nature before. ... He knew those cameras were there, but he paid to get the footage, but he didn’t know that the hotel also gave Cassie a copy of the footage,” said Mr. Bonds.
“I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now … I went and I sought out professional help. I got into 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 [being] a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry,” he said.
In response, Mr. Bonds said his statement only shows the rapper is “up to the same games,” after failing to acknowledge Ms. Ventura in his apology.
“When you go through life just paying your way out, I really feel like he might be sorry now that he got caught. But if that was a one-time incident, then I would say accept his apology. But I think he said what he thought people wanted to hear … to me, he didn’t humble himself enough,” said Mr. Bonds.
Based on their history, Mr. Bonds believes this isn’t the end of the allegations, saying he expects more victims to come forward about their experiences.
“There was this dark side of him that he was trying to hide and that he wanted me to say didn’t exist. And I can’t say that it didn’t exist if it did exist … I feel like there’s going to be other people that come forward.”
Mr. Combs is facing a number of civil lawsuits against him, including charges of sexual assault, rape, and trafficking.
This stems from Ms. Ventura’s initial 2023 filing, in which she outlined a violent incident matching the altercation seen in the video footage.
The lawsuit details that in 2016, Mr. Combs “became extremely intoxicated and punched Ms. Ventura in the face, giving her a black eye” while at a hotel.
Ms. Ventura took to social media, expressing gratitude for the unwavering support she has received from family, friends, and strangers.
“The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning,” she wrote in a statement posted on Instagram on May 23.
She went on to highlight the issue of domestic violence, asking others to focus on supporting victims alike.
“Domestic violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become. ... My only ask is that EVERYONE open your heart to believing victims the first time. It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in,” she said.
In a statement, Meredith Firetog, an attorney for Ms. Ventura, called Mr. Combs’s apology video “disingenuous,” noting that he was more concerned about his image than the people he hurt.
“When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday. That he was only compelled to ‘apologize’ once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation,” said Ms. Firetog.
