John Legend's Manager Candidly Details 'Terrifying' Encounter at Diddy's NYE Party
John Legend's manager, Ty Stiklorius, recently recounted an alleged harrowing experience from a New Year's Eve party thrown by Sean "Diddy" Combs nearly three decades ago.
In an article for the 'New York Times,' she detailed the unsettling encounter that took place on a yacht in St. Barts, where she had gone with her brother shortly after finishing college.
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While at the gathering, Stiklorius recalled allegedly being "directed into a bedroom by a man." Although she couldn't identify the individual or confirm the person's connection to Combs, the memory of the encounter stayed with her. "To this day, I can't remember how I managed to talk my way out of that terrifying situation," she admitted. "My brother's on this boat, and he's probably looking for me," she said, recalling how her brother's presence might have led the man to unlock the door and allow her to leave.
Initially, she brushed off the experience as an isolated incident of "just one guy behaving badly at a drunken party." Over the years, however, her perspective shifted as she began to notice a pattern in the industry.
Stiklorius shared that, a few years after Combs' party, she received an unwelcome proposition from a senior music executive. Reflecting on the culture in the music business, she described it as "a pervasive culture... that actively fostered sexual misconduct and exploited the lives and bodies of those hoping to make it in the business."
Despite these challenges, she credited her success to working with artists like John Legend, who, she noted, "Want to be a part of a different model of business and culture." This support, she explained, has helped her build a career in a notoriously exploitative industry.
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Recently, scrutiny around Combs' parties has intensified following his arrest on multiple charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering. While Combs, 54, has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing, these allegations have brought renewed attention to his infamous gatherings and the broader issues within the industry.
Combs' legal team has consistently rejected these claims, suggesting that the attorney representing the victims, Tony Buzbee, is seeking media attention rather than justice. In a statement, his team remarked, per 'ABC-7,' "The lawyer behind this lawsuit is interested in media attention rather than the truth, as is obvious from his constant press appearances and 1-800 number."