Sean “Diddy” Combs’ legal issues stemming from sexual misconduct allegations have inspired a wave of Halloween costumes—and sparked discussion online.
Music mogul Combs was arrested and charged on September 16, in a three-count indictment, with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing, and has been denied bail on multiple occasions.
Combs’ spokespeople have repeatedly pointed Newsweek to the following statement: “We live in a world where anyone can file a lawsuit for any reason and without any proof. Fortunately, a fair and impartial judicial process exists to find the truth and Mr. Combs is confident he will prevail against these and other baseless claims in court.”
As Combs remains in custody ahead of his May 2025 trial date, the allegations leveled against the Bad Boy Records founder have inspired Halloween costumes. In particular, a focus has been placed on the hundreds of baby oil bottles recovered from Combs’ properties during searches by authorities earlier this year.
Sean “Diddy” Combs is pictured on August 26, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. The music mogul’s legal issues have inspired a wave of Halloween costumes,
Paras Griffin/Getty Images
In one lawsuit, it was alleged that Combs had baby oil at his home laced with Rohypnol or GHB, a substance commonly known as a date rape drug. In an October filing, Combs’ defense team dismissed the claims as “outlandish conspiracy theories.”
One photo shared on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday shows a man apparently dressed for Halloween sporting a blazer and bow tie while standing next to a woman dressed as—and holding—a bottle of baby oil. A screen caption describes the image as “P Diddy and Baby Oil.” The screenshot appears to have been taken from a TikTok post apparently naming the woman dressed as baby oil.
The photo, which as of press time has garnered more than 10 million X views, has also sparked discussion over the fact that the man in the image has used makeup to blacken his face, sparking discussions around the use of blackface. The same tactics were used by another man, who was shown in a separate X post wearing an orange prison uniform while carrying a bottle of baby oil.
“So in Scottsdale Arizona we have a white man dressing up like P Diddy in blackface,” an X user captioned the prison-themed image. “Open the schools. We shouldn’t have to teach white people that race isn’t a Halloween costume but clearly we need to. This is shameful and disgusting. F*** whoever this is.”
Reacting to the costume portraying Combs in a suit, one X user wrote: “This not even an outfit Diddy would wear. Boy just wanted to do blackface.”
Another commented that while Comb’s alleged actions were “wrong, that doesn’t mean you can wear blackface.”
“Like being aware of the hyper vigilant internet optics culture And growing up with the concept of a digital footprint And both wearing this costume AND letting yourself being posted on the internet is CRAZY,” read another post.
Said another: “Gross on so many levels starting with the Blackface and ending with making fun of a seriously disturbing situation.”
Meanwhile, video footage of internet personality and comedian Kush Papi dressed as a large bottle of baby oil has gone viral on TikTok. Clocking up more than 20 million views, the brief clip shows the influencer, real name Joseph Pontarelli, wearing a cardboard cutout of a baby oil bottle emblazoned with the words “Diddy’s Oil Party.” Unlike a number of other images, Kush Papi is not in blackface.
Newsweek has contacted Kush Papi via email for comment.
Blackface can be tracked back to the minstrel shows of the early 19th century, where white performers would portray stereotypes of Black people often in the South and working on plantations.
Blackface: The Birth of An American Stereotype, an article from the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture, says that these performances characterized Black people as “lazy, ignorant, superstitious, hypersexual, and prone to thievery and cowardice.”
The article also says: “Minstrelsy, comedic performances of ‘blackness’ by whites in exaggerated costumes and makeup, cannot be separated fully from the racial derision and stereotyping at its core.”
Although minstrel shows no longer exist, several high-profile politicians and celebrities have drawn backlash from wearing blackface in the past.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam faced heat after first apologizing for, and then denying, appearing in high school yearbook photos that allegedly showed a person in blackface makeup. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also apologized after photos emerged of him in “brownface” at an Arabian Nights themed party in 2001.
Megyn Kelly drew severe backlash in 2018 when she defended wearing blackface, saying it was “was OK when I was a kid, as long as you were dressing like a character” in reference to the Real Housewives of New York star Luann de Lesseps appearing to darken her skin when dressing as Diana Ross on the show, which she denied.
Specialists from the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) sexual assault hotline are available 24/7 via phone (1 (800) 656-4673) and online chat. Additional support from the group is also accessible via the mobile app.
