Cuba Gooding Jr. Addresses Groping Allegations In Diddy Lawsuit, Claims Lil Rod Is After Money
Cuba Gooding Jr. is speaking out against the groping allegations made against him in a recently filed lawsuit against Sean "Diddy" Combs.
In March, the Oscar winner was named a co-defendant in a lawsuit brought against Combs by music producer Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones, who accused Gooding of groping him while on the hip-hop mogul's yacht in January 2023.
During an interview on the "PBD Podcast" Wednesday, Gooding -- who separately pleaded guilty in 2022 to forcible touching and settled a rape lawsuit last year -- denied imposing himself on Jones and accused him of filing the lawsuit due to money.
He also claimed that Combs was just an acquaintance.
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"It's funny because my lawyers said, y'know, 'Every outlet in the world wants to talk to you,' and again, I'm like, 'I'm not defining myself from some headline in the press,' so I stay quiet," the actor told host Patrick Bet-David.
(Photo : Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for ELLE)
Gooding claimed Jones created a false narrative using the photos of the actor that were included in the lawsuit.
One image showed the "Jerry Maguire" actor with his arm wrapped around Jones as he sat close to him. Gooding was also seen talking to Combs on the yacht in other pictures.
Gooding explained on the podcast that the encounter took place at Combs' yacht party on New Year's Eve.
According to the actor, he was invited to listen to one of Combs' new songs, and did so with Jones, who was working on Diddy's most recent record, "The Love Album: Off the Grid," at the time.
Gooding said he left the room shortly after the song finished playing. He claimed that the photo captured him tossing an arm around Jones' shoulder as they talked, but nothing untoward happened.
The actor showed the host a photo from that night that he claimed proves there is no truth to Jones' claims. However, it is unclear what the picture showed as he did not reveal it to the camera.
(Photo : John Phillips/ GETTY IMAGES)
Gooding alleged that the music producer was just after Combs' money before seemingly distancing himself from Combs.
"This guy who's suing him [is] going after the money, man. I'm sure," Gooding claimed. "And by the way, I don't know P. Diddy's life. I don't know what he's going through... We were acquaintances, just like I just showed you. Two-three times I've seen him."
Gooding also addressed the March raids on Combs' homes that were reportedly part of a sex trafficking probe.
"I think whatever [Diddy's] dealing with, he's on his journey, man," the actor said. "I think that God has got him on a path where... I can't imagine that he's stupid enough to do whatever he's doing and keep it on his premises. I think that the raid and all of that stuff, only time will tell -- who was involved, who had been a frequent guest in these places and areas."
In his lawsuit, Jones accused Combs of repeatedly sexually assaulting and harassing him while he was working on his album from September 2022 to November 2023.
The music producer said in his lawsuit that he believed Combs "was grooming him to pass him off to his friends" and that "fear became reality" when the rapper introduced him to Gooding on his yacht.
Jones accused Gooding of fondling his "legs, upper inner thighs near his groin, the small of his back near his buttocks, and his shoulders."
The lawsuit alleged that the producer rejected his advances, but Gooding did not stop until Jones "forcibly pushed him away."
Combs has denied any wrongdoing.
(Photo : Phillip Faraone/Getty Images )
