Speaking out for the first time since their father’s arrest, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ children have criticized a 58-page book said to be based on the diaries of their mother, the late model Kim Porter.
A book on Amazon gained attention after Diddy’s arrest.
Kim Porter (born 1970) did not write a memoir detailing her abusive relationship with her longtime partner Sean “Diddy” Combs, her children said in a statement on September 24.
Kim’s Lost Words: A Journey For Justice, From The Other Side… was independently published on Amazon in early September, more than a week before music mogul Diddy was arrested in New York and the indictment against him was announced. The book is said to be based on Porter’s diaries and notes.
However, Porter’s children – Quincy, Christian, Jessie and D’Lila – have denied this information. They denounced the book as a complete fabrication in a joint statement on Instagram on September 24.
“Claims that our mother wrote a book are completely untrue. She did not write it, and anyone claiming to have a manuscript is misrepresenting themselves,” the statement read. “Anyone claiming to be a ‘friend’ speaking on behalf of our mother or her family is not a friend, nor does they have our mother’s best interests at heart.”
What does the best-selling book say about Diddy?
Christian, 26, and twins Jessie and D’Lila, 17, are Porter and Diddy’s children. Quincy, 33, is Porter’s son from a previous relationship, but was raised primarily by Diddy. The Instagram post is the first statement they have made since the rapper was arrested, and none of the four have directly addressed the criminal case against their father.
Perhaps in response to the book’s alleged details of Diddy’s violent behavior toward Porter, the children said the amount of “false and hurtful rumors” circulating about their parents’ relationship forced them to speak out.
Porter died of pneumonia in November 2018 at the age of 47, according to her autopsy report. At the time of her death, Diddy said he and the former model and actress were “more than best friends” and “more than soul mates.” But the Amazon bestseller claims in its “disclaimer” that cheating was the cause of Porter’s death.
Kim Porter had an on-again, off-again relationship with Diddy for more than a decade before her death in 2018.
Her children said they were “deeply saddened that the world has made a drama out of the most tragic event of our lives,” noting that their mother’s cause of death had been known for years and there was no foul play.
Rife with typos and misspellings, the preview for the short book details Diddy’s alleged physical abuse, sexual coercion, and other acts of violence. The $22 paperback was quietly released on Amazon, but it has gained particular attention since Diddy’s arrest and the shocking details of the indictment were revealed.
The book once climbed to the top of Amazon’s bestseller list.
The man behind the book
The author of the book is listed as Jamal T. Millwood, “writing for Kimberly A. Porter.” The author behind the book, whose real name is Todd Christopher Guzze, better known by his stage name Chris Todd, defines his profession as “investigative producer, author, and journalist.”
In a phone interview with The Associated Press on September 25, Todd said he was approached by people “very close to Kim, Sean Combs” and provided “USB flash drives, documents and tapes” from Porte, which he eventually pieced together to create the memoir in a process that took months.
Responding to Porter’s children’s statement, Todd said his “door is always open” to any member of the former model’s family who wants to talk to him.
Diddy was arrested and faces multiple serious charges.
Todd urged skeptics to “find out who I am” and look at previous cases he has handled.
“If someone asked me, ‘Is that book real, Dead or Alive?’ I’d have to say I don’t know. But to me, it’s real enough,” Todd told Rolling Stone .
Diddy, 54, has pleaded not guilty in New York and is in custody awaiting trial. He is sharing a dormitory-style room at the Brooklyn Central Jail with cryptocurrency scammer Sam Bankman-Fried and others, The New York Times reported.
The statements from Diddy and Porter’s children come as the 11th civil sexual abuse lawsuit was filed against the hip hop mogul on September 24. Thalia Graves claims that Diddy and his bodyguard sexually assaulted her in 2001 and distributed video of the attack, “including selling it as pornography.”
Graves said she met Diddy in late 1999 when her then-boyfriend was an executive at Bad Boy Records, Diddy’s record label.
Netflix has also announced a new documentary series about rapper 50 Cent, who has long been at odds with Diddy. The series is said to include details related to Diddy’s case.
“While these allegations are deeply troubling, we urge everyone to remember that Sean Combs’ story is not the entire picture of hip hop and hip hop culture. We want to ensure that individual actions do not overshadow the broader contributions of this culture,” 50 Cent and series director Alexandria Stapleton told Variety .