Danyel Smith, the former editor-in-chief of Vibe, made serious allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs in a report published on Wednesday, claiming that he made a death threat against her during a dispute over the magazine’s April issue cover. According to Smith, the confrontation occurred when Combs demanded to see the cover before the company did a version of it. When Smith refused, she alleges that Combs threatened her over the phone, stating that she’d be “dead in a trunk.”
In the preview for the Investigation Discovery docuseries The Fall of Diddy, which aired on January 23, Smith shared further details about the incident, claiming that after the threat, she contacted her attorney, who then reached out to Combs. Smith said she received an apology via fax two hours later. Additionally, she accused Combs of showing up at the Vibe offices with two men in search of her.
This allegation isn’t new. Smith had previously recounted the incident in a July 2024 essay for The New York Times Magazine. However, a source close to Combs has disputed her version, questioning why she continued to work with him professionally for years if the threat was indeed made.
Combs’ legal team has strongly denied the allegations, calling them “pure fiction” and labeling the docuseries as a “one-sided and prejudicial narrative.” His attorneys criticized the producers for failing to provide sufficient time for his representatives to address the claims, many of which come from anonymous sources without context.
At present, Combs is incarcerated in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, facing federal charges and several civil lawsuits. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The Fall of Diddy premiered on January 27-28 on Investigation Discovery and is available for streaming on Max.