Taye Diggs was ‘blindsided’ by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sex trafficking arrest: ‘I felt so naive’

Taye Diggs admitted that he didn’t know about Sean “Diddy” Combs’ dark side following the rapper’s sex crimes arrest.

“I felt so naive when I heard all that stuff because I was… I don’t know where I was, but all of it blindsided me,” Diggs said on Thursday’s episode of the Kate Hudson and Oliver Hudson’s “Sibling Revelry” podcast.

The “Rent” star, 53, shared that he had always looked up to the Bad Boy Records founder as a role model before all his alleged abuse came to light.

“He was a hero to me. I loved how he… he didn’t come from much, he started out as a dancer. All the things that I wasn’t, growing up, he was,” Diggs said. “He had so much confidence and a certain arrogance that I loved and he made being black cool.”

Diggs admired that Diddy wore being black “as a badge.”

“I really put him on a pedestal and it was disappointing to see some of what happened,” Diggs continued. “I couldn’t believe it. And I didn’t like that feeling.”

The Broadway actor said that learning of all the accusations against Combs was “double-edged” for him.

“On one side, I’m like, this is great for people to know that this happens,” Diggs said. “We can think life is to be lived a certain way, we can think a person is a certain way and they can be the exact opposite and get used to that, you know?”

The “I’ll Be Missing You” artist, 54, was arrested on Sept. 16 and charged with three counts: racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution.

In an unsealed indictment, prosecutors claimed Combs “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct” for decades.

He is also accused of “creating a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in … sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice.”

Combs, who is being held without bail in a NYC jail, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The music mogul’s reputation came crumbling down in November 2023 when is ex-girlfriend, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, filed a lawsuit accusing him of raping and abusing her throughout their 10-year relationship.

Combs, known for throwing wild star-studded white parties, initially denied the allegations and settled the suit the next day. However, he was forced to issue a public apology after a horrific video surfaced of Combs brutally beating Cassie at a hotel in 2016.

Since the “Me & U” singer bravely came forward about his abuse, at least a dozen people have made legal allegations against the father of seven.

Combs is allegedly planning on testifying in the sex trafficking trial, his attorney revealed this week.

His attorney, Marc Agnifilo, revealed that Diddy is “very eager to tell his story.”

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.