Diplo’s History of Sexual Misconduct Dates Back Years
Diplo has been a working musician for nearly two decades. Throughout that time, the Grammy-winning DJ and producer has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry. But during those years, Diplo has also been accused of sexual misconduct.
Diplo was accused of sexual misconduct in 2020
Diplo’s first criminal case dates back a decade. Back in 2011, he was arrested at The Standard hotel in New York City after getting in a violent bar fight. He ended up taking anger management classes as a result.
In November 2020, Shelly Auguste, a young woman from Los Angeles, claimed that Diplo had groomed her from the age of 17 (Diplo was 36 at that time) and leaked revenge porn of her on Twitter. The two didn’t meet in person until March 2018 due to the age gap, but they still “regularly exchanged sexually explicit photos, videos, and messages,” the court documents read, according to The Things.
The court granted Auguste a restraining order, but months later, she sued him again for other serious charges: allegedly pursuing her when she was underage and never disclosing that he had an STI, according to TMZ. He also allegedly tried to force Auguste into a threesome with a girl whom she believed was underage after one of his shows in Las Vegas in 2019.
In 2020, Diplo was granted a restraining order against Shelly Auguste after he accused her of stalking and harassing him and his family.
Diplo allegedly sexually abused multiple women — including Azealia Banks
TMZ reported in 2020 that another woman had sued Diplo for the same offense Auguste did, including rape. The alleged victim claimed Diplo forced her into performing adult activities and recorded her without her consent during an after-party following one of his Vegas shows in 2019. However, the woman withdrew the lawsuit 10 days after filing it.
Rapper Azealia Banks shared a similar story of her own during an episode of her “Cheapy’s Two Cents” podcast on Soundcloud. She said that he took advantage of her sexually in exchange for musical exposure back in 2008. In an interview with MTV, she emphasized that he didn’t “discover” her. “I swear, Diplo’s running around telling people, ‘I discovered her!’ Every magazine’s like, ‘Diplo produced her first track “Seventeen.”‘ No he didn’t; I produced it.”
Diplo could face criminal charges
According to BuzzFeed News, Diplo could be facing serious charges thanks to the second, unnamed woman who sued Diplo in 2020.
The Los Angeles city attorney’s office is considering criminal charges against Diplo following a police investigation into the allegations; the woman herself never sued him. The office is reportedly considering charges of invasion of privacy and intentionally giving someone a sexually transmitted infection.
Diplo was accused of grooming TikTok star Quenlin Blackwell
These two cases were not the first time Diplo was accused of being a predator. In 2020, 19-year-old TikTok star Quenlin Blackwell revealed that she had been living with the producer, raising eyebrows across the Internet.
“I’m an adult. I’m not being groomed. Platonic relationships exist. I’ve been living here for over a year,” she said about the accusations. “I’d rather break both of my legs and be forced to walk than pursue Diplo romantically, and he’d rather choke.”
