The spotlight on Sean “Diddy” Combs intensifies as his past and present relationships come under close examination. Throughout his rise to stardom in the ’90s, the controversial rapper has been romantically linked to several high-profile names, including Jennifer Lopez , and Cassie Ventura, and his longest relationship with Kim Porter. While both Lopez and Porter have allegedly described their time with Combs as turbulent and emotionally taxing, an insider claims that Combs was notably more composed and respectful during his relationship with Lopez.
The rapper’s former bodyguard , Gene Deal, claims that Combs treated Lopez and Porter with radically different levels of respect, despite certain similarities in their relationships. Deal, a witness to some of Combs’ most contentious incidents, remembers seeing the rapper’s uncontrollable anger, especially around Porter. While he disputes the claim that Combs broke Porter’s nose, as some have alleged, he does assert that he saw the music mogul become physically aggressive with her on several occasions, as reported by Showbiz Cheatsheet .
Deal said, “I’ve never seen Puff put his hands on Kim like that other than snatching her and grabbing her.” On the other hand, when it came to Lopez, Combs displayed an entirely different side. It has been reported that he remained respectful and polite by not flirting with other ladies while she was around. “He never tried to talk to her crazy or anything around people. I never even heard him raise his voice to her,” Deal added. The former bodyguard also speculated that if Combs had ever been aggressive with Lopez, she likely wouldn’t have kept it under wraps. It’s worth noting that many in Lopez’s inner circle , including her family, were never fond of the rapper from the start.
Deal stated, “J.Lo’s mother didn’t like him, and Benny Medina didn’t like him. So, now, the first, if he were to ever touch Ms. Lopez in any kind of aggressive way, she would’ve said something. Man, listen to me. The whole Bronx would’ve been on Puff.” He also believes that Lopez has kept quiet about her relationship with Combs because, by her account, there’s no story of him ever being abusive or mistreating her. In fact, during the late ’90s and early 2000s, Lopez and Combs became the epitome of the “IT” couple in Hollywood, their high-profile romance captivating the media, as reported by The Mirror .
At the height of their careers, both dominating the music and acting scenes, Lopez and Combs were frequently seen together at Hollywood’s most glamorous events. Despite their undeniable chemistry, a variety of factors kept them from getting married, including lingering ties to their former partners—Porter, and Ojani Noa. One major reason was that Combs was still deeply connected to Porter, the mother of his children—son Christian and twin daughters Jessie and D’lila—and never fully moved on. Porter and Combs had an on-again, off-again relationship from 1994 until they split in 2007, and she later spoke openly about Combs’ affair with Lopez, even dismissing their A-list romance as “not real.”