Will Smith Denies Any Link to Sean 'Diddy' Combs: 'I Ain't Been Nowhere Near That Man'
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12/13/2024 05:45 PM
"I haven't addressed any of this publicly, but I just wanna say this very clearly: I don't have s--- to do with Puffy," said Will Smith
Jamie McCarthy/Getty; John Shearer/Getty
Will Smith; Sean "Diddy" CombsWill Smith made rare comments about Sean "Diddy" Combs while onstage, denying any connection to the music mogul's alleged crimes.
The Oscar winner, who released a new song called "Tantrum," performed at the Observatory North Park theater in San Diego on Thursday, Dec. 12.
Videos shared on TikTok and obtained by TMZ show Smith addressing the crowd between songs, speaking about memes linking him to Combs.
"The world we're in right now, it's really hard for y'all to discern what's real and what's true, you know?" he said in the clip. "I've been seeing y'all's memes and stuff ... Some of that stuff's funny. ... I haven't addressed any of this publicly, but I just wanna say this very clearly: I don't have s--- to do with Puffy, so y'all can stop all them memes. You can stop all of that bulls---."
"I ain't been nowhere near that man, ain't did none of that stupid s---," Smith, 56, who's been previously photographed with Combs at industry events over the years, said from the stage. "So whenever y'all hear it, if somebody say that, it's a damn lie."
Combs, 55, is in federal custody in New York City after his September indictment on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Jeff Vespa/WireImage
Sean "Diddy" Combs and Will Smith at the NAACP Image Awards in L.A. on Feb. 12, 2009He is alleged to have used coercion to make women participate in so-called "freak-offs," described by prosecutors as "elaborate and produced sex performances." Prosecutors also say authorities found "freak-off supplies," including drugs and over 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant, when they raided Combs' homes in Los Angeles and Miami in March.
Combs has denied committing any wrongdoing. His attorneys previously said in a statement to PEOPLE after the first wave of civil assault complaints that he "cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus," but that he "emphatically" denied sexually abusing anyone.
Combs will remain behind bars until his trial in May 2025. His legal counsel filed a motion Dec. 13 to dismiss his appeal for bail in his ongoing sex trafficking and racketeering case.
In the recent video, Smith made a joke onstage while denying any connection to Combs: "I don't even like baby oil," he said with a laugh.
Sebastian Reuter/Getty
Will Smith on May 27, 2024Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
He then added, "But, no, having said that publicly. Y'all the first time. I usually don't respond to dumbass stuff because it's so many things. People say so much stuff. But that one — your memes was doin' too much. Y'all was having me mad."
Jamie Foxx is another celebrity who recently cleared up online conspiracies attempting to connect him to Combs. In his Netflix special that debuted Tuesday, Dec. 10 titled Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was..., Foxx said, "I left them parties early. I was out by 9. Something don't look right. It's slippery in here."
