“I’ll See You Dead in a Trunk”: Diddy Accused of Threatening Journalist Over Photo Approval

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been accused of threatening journalist Danyel Smith during a dispute over photo approval in 1997, according to claims made in the forthcoming docuseries The Fall of Diddy.

Smith, the former editor-in-chief of Vibe magazine, recalled the alleged incident, saying Combs demanded to see the magazine covers before publication—a request that violated the publication’s policy.

“After the shoot, Mr. Combs wanted to see the covers before they were published,” Smith said. “It was policy for us not to show the covers to anyone before they were published.”

When Smith refused, she alleged that the 55-year-old rapper telephoned her and issued a chilling threat. “I told him that I wouldn’t be making an exception, and he said that he would see me dead in a trunk if I did not show it to him,” Smith recalled.

Smith said she immediately demanded that Combs retract his threat, but he refused. “He said he wasn’t taking s*** back,” she stated, prompting her to involve her lawyer.

The journalist said the situation escalated further. “It took about 90 minutes to two hours, and I received that faxed apology,” Smith noted.

However, Smith alleged that Combs later attempted to intimidate her by dispatching people to the Vibe offices. “I’ve only recently come to realize—through the members of the staff at that time—that he had actually, in the days before, come up to the Vibe offices with two tough guys looking for me,” she said.

Diddy has previously denied Smith’s allegations. When contacted by the Daily Mail for further comment regarding the claims in the docuseries, his representatives did not respond.

The accusations come as Combs faces unrelated legal troubles, with the artist currently imprisoned and awaiting a May 5 trial on sex trafficking charges. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges.

The allegations against Combs add another layer to the controversies surrounding the music mogul, raising questions about his behavior and treatment of others during his rise to fame. The forthcoming docuseries is expected to delve deeper into these claims, potentially sparking renewed scrutiny of his past actions.