Aubrey O’Day, the former Danity Kane singer, skillfully avoided directly answering whether she could forgive Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs for a rape allegation during a live CBS News interview on Tuesday. Instead, she redirected the focus towards Combs’ need for self-accountability, stating that her forgiveness was irrelevant to the broader picture of justice and healing.
In the interview, O’Day expressed that the question of forgiving Combs was misplaced. “Do I forgive him? I don’t think that matters to the bigger picture,” she said. “I think that he needs to do the work to forgive himself.” This response highlights her perspective that the onus is on Combs to confront his actions rather than on her to grant absolution. Her comments come amid ongoing public discourse about accountability in the entertainment industry, particularly following Combs’ recent legal troubles.
O’Day elaborated on her personal journey, emphasizing the importance of self-forgiveness. “I forgive myself. That was the hard one,” she shared. She explained that she had to come to terms with misinterpreting abuse, attention, or acknowledgment as love. “Those weren’t one in the same. And so I had to forgive myself first,” she added, revealing the emotional labor involved in processing her experiences with Combs and the allegations.
The background of O’Day’s relationship with Combs dates back to 2005 when she competed on his reality show “Making The Band,” later becoming a founding member of the girl group Danity Kane under his Bad Boy Productions. This professional history adds complexity to the allegations, as O’Day was once closely associated with the music mogul. Her involvement in the recent Netflix documentary “Sean Combs: The Reckoning” brought these issues to light, where a witness affidavit alleged she was sexually assaulted by Combs and another man while intoxicated.
In the documentary, O’Day admitted to having no memory of the alleged incident, stating, “Does this mean I was raped? I don’t even know if I was raped. And I don’t want to know.” Despite this, she noted that the witness’s account has been consistent for two years. Combs, through a statement, has categorically denied all allegations in the documentary, which was executive-produced by his industry rival 50 Cent and explores various misconduct claims against him.
Combs’ legal situation provides context for O’Day’s comments. He was arrested in September 2024 as part of a sex trafficking investigation and later found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, for which he was sentenced to four years in federal prison. He was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges. The case gained notoriety after a video surfaced showing Combs assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016, with Ventura testifying about alleged abuse during his trial.
O’Day expressed skepticism about whether justice has been fully served, even with Combs incarcerated. “I want to be helping people, and speaking for the underdogs, and speaking for the voices that aren’t being heard,” she said, indicating her desire to use her platform for advocacy. She feels that her life’s purpose has been overshadowed by these events, and she aims to focus on supporting others who have faced similar struggles.
The interview underscores the lingering impact of Combs’ actions on those around him and the ongoing cultural reckoning within the music industry. O’Day’s refusal to engage with the forgiveness narrative shifts the conversation towards systemic issues and personal accountability. As Combs serves his sentence, the documentary and related discussions continue to fuel debates about power, abuse, and redemption in entertainment, with O’Day’s voice adding a nuanced perspective to the complex story.
