Grammys 2023 Seating Chart Chaos As Artists Allegedly Refuse To Sit Near Diddy
Grammy organizers are reportedly experiencing seating plan and guest list troubles amid the rape and sexual abuse allegations against Sean "Diddy" Combs.
The rapper recently settled a lawsuit with his ex-girlfriend Cassie, who accused him of rape and abuse. Two additional women have filed civil cases this week, accusing Combs of rape and sexual assault.
Mirror U.K. reported that after the allegations surfaced, celebrity agents representing various artists have requested that their clients be seated away from Combs at the 2023 Grammy Awards ceremony.
The outlet also claimed that several officials at the Recording Academy are calling for the hip-hop star to not be invited to this year's Grammys. Enstarz could not independently verify this information.
"The formal invitations go out this month. There's conflict at the academy as several voting members do not think it would be appropriate to invite Diddy," Mirror U.K. quoted an unnamed music insider as saying.
The source claimed that several high-profile Black members were among those expressing concerns about the message it sends to audiences and the charities the Grammys support.
The insider alleged that publicists have added to the logistical challenge by requesting their artists not be seated near Combs.
"It's a logistical nightmare," the source added.
Cassie made serious allegations against Combs, including sex trafficking, human trafficking, and sexual assault, in a lawsuit filed earlier this month.
She claimed to have been forced into sexual encounters with male prostitutes while Combs watched and recorded videos.
On Nov. 17, just one day after she filed the lawsuit, both Cassie and Combs announced that they had reached an agreement to resolve the case, though they disclosed no details about the terms of the settlement.
A lawyer for Combs said in a statement obtained by Variety that the 'decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims."
Days later, another woman, Joi Dickerson-Neal, filed a lawsuit alleging that Combs drugged, sexually assaulted, and abused her. Combs' spokesperson dismissed these claims as "fabricated" and motivated by financial gain.
The chaos deepened with a third lawsuit filed anonymously by a woman identified only as Jane Doe, who alleges that Combs and singer-songwriter Aaron Hall raped her and her friend in 1990 or 1991, TMZ reported.
The lawsuit claims the women were assaulted after meeting Diddy and Hall at a record event.
In response to the third lawsuit, a spokesperson for Combs asserted in a statement to TMZ, "These are civil suits with fabricated claims of misconduct from over 30 years ago, which are nothing but a blatant money grab."
