Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lavish celebrity lifestyle has been scrutinized meticulously following allegations of sex trafficking and other crimes against the rapper.
On March 25, Homeland Security raided Combs’ homes in Miami and Los Angeles as it conducted, according to the Associated Press, an investigation into sex trafficking. Two of Combs’ sons, Justin and Christian, were seen handcuffed outside one of the homes during the raids. Combs’ lawyers denied any wrongdoing on his behalf and said no one had been arrested or charged after the raids.
With speculation rife, a viral TikTok post recently suggested that boxing superstar Mike Tyson had information about some of Combs’ former relationships. However, the allegation is not what it may seem.
The Claim
A TikTok posted by user Black Star Update on March 31, 2023, viewed 421,500 times, included a thumbnail with the headline “Mike Tyson EXPOSES List of Celebs Diddy Slept With…” The thumbnail included a list naming Jay-Z, Meek Mill, Prince Harry, Yung Miami, Rick Ross, Usher, Justin Bieber, and Will Smith. A quote next to a picture of Mike Tyson said, “I HAVE PROOF!”
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The Facts
There is no evidence that Mike Tyson has a list of celebrities who slept with Combs nor does the TikTok present any evidence or references to support that allegation.
The TikTok by Black Star Update is one of four videos posted on its channel with the same headline and thumbnail. These TikToks were ripped from a 20-minute YouTube video by Stardom Scoop, posted on March 30, 2024.
The video is a mishmash of reporting from the Diddy scandal, unsubstantiated rumors, and unrelated content pulled from other media outlets.
None of the content in the video addresses the headline claim directly. It includes a few clips of Mike Tyson but none of these have anything to do with the recent reports surrounding Combs.
The notion of “secret lists” echoes other popular conspiracy theories, most notably the repeatedly debunked “Epstein list”, referring to a collection of names supposedly associated with the late disgraced New York financier. While Epstein had connections with powerful individuals including Bill Gates and Donald Trump, false rumors of a much wider list of associates, often mentioning people who never met Epstein, have been floating online for years,
Much like the Epstein list, this claim about Mike Tyson having information about Combs’ relationships appears to have been created to attract cheap attention and sow conspiratorial thinking.
Newsweek has contacted a media representative for Mike Tyson for comment.
TikTok has been a hive for wildly uninformed allegations about celebrities and politicians, with videos filled with misleading and false content gathering millions of views in the process.
