Diddy Allegedly Warned an Editor She Would End Up 'Dead in the Trunk' Over a Magazine Cover

Trigger Warning: This article contains themes of sexual assault that some readers may find distressing.

In the late 1990s, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was at the peak of his career, releasing his debut album No Way Out and securing a coveted spot on the cover of Vibe Magazine’s December 1997/January 1998 issue. However, what should have been a triumphant moment for the artist quickly turned sour. The former editor-in-chief of the magazine, Danyel Smith, detailed what had transpired.

Smith's creative vision for Diddy’s magazine cover had him wearing white feathered wings as a nod to the film Heaven Can Wait. While Diddy initially agreed to the photoshoot, Smith recalled that his mood shifted when she refused his demand to see and approve the final cover before it went to print. Smith noted, “That day, Combs was begrudgingly compliant. We finally got him to shrug on the white feathered wings.”

As per CheatSheet, this refusal led to a series of threats from Diddy, who allegedly told Smith that he would see her ‘dead in the trunk of a car’ if she didn’t comply. In a gripping essay for The New York Times, Smith shared, “He cooperated up to a point, but eventually, his controlling ways took hold…Combs wanted to see the Vibe covers before they went to press. It wasn’t our policy to show covers before publication, so after I told him no, we heard that he planned to come to our office and force us to show him what we’d chosen — and to make us choose something else if he didn’t like what he saw.”

Smith recounted, "It was then that Combs told me, as I’ve retold hundreds of times over the years, that he would see me ‘dead in the trunk of a car.’” However, the ordeal did not end there. Shortly afterward, servers containing the magazine’s files mysteriously disappeared from the office, in what Smith suspected was an inside job orchestrated by Diddy’s team.

Smith's claims gain more credibility as new allegations have emerged, outlining Diddy's dark legacy of crimes. As per Page Six, an attorney representing several of Diddy’s accusers, Ariel Mitchell-Kidd, revealed graphic details of an alleged sexual assault. According to Mitchell-Kidd, her client was invited to Diddy’s home, where she was threatened with a knife and forced to undress.

The woman was then reportedly doused with an oil-like substance, believed to be laced with drugs, which rendered her unable to fight back. Mitchell-Kidd remarked, “My client was raped by Mr. Combs, his bodyguard, and a friend who invited my client to his home to set up this whole situation. And then he takes what she believes is some type of liquid substance…he squirts it at her. And she originally thought it was like acid or something, but then she realized that it was some type of lubricant or oil.” The horrifying ordeal reportedly ended when the woman managed to make a desperate escape.

If you are being subjected to sexual assault, or know of anyone who is, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673).