Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Backup Dancer Avoided Him ‘at All Costs’ When They Worked Together
Allegations of abuse against Sean “Diddy” Combs continue to pile up. The music mogul is currently in a New York jail awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. Many people have spoken out against him, including his former backup dancer, Tanika Ray. She said her workplace did not feel safe, and she avoided Diddy to the best of her ability.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ backup dancer said she tried to avoid him
Ray is now an entertainment journalist, but she worked as a backup dancer for Diddy earlier in her career. She admitted it was not a pleasant experience. After working with him, she said the accusations against him do not surprise her.
“Unfortch we can compartmentalization out pain and carry on,” she wrote on Instagram. “We utilize the experience as a lesson and move differently. If I told my story in 1996 then What?? I just knew to avoid him at all costs. Yes I danced for him and kept my space. I was on the Vote or Die airplane and kept my space. I interviewed him for his projects and kept my space. Nothing that is happening is surprising.”
She said she did not speak out about her experience at the time because she wanted to heal from it.
“Ladies keep space to heal and move on is key,” she continued. “Gathering to incriminate is goals. But in this wild world with a broke azz system… our healing is priority. Shame on all those men that let this continue. Shame on me maybe for prioritizing my mental health some would say. But after working in a place that snatches souls … mine is in tact and of the light. I saved myself. Now if someone needs me to pile on my story, give me a call. But I think Cassie got it!”
She said many people have stories about him
Ray wrote about Diddy in a caption under a clip of herself discussing him. In it, she speaks with writer Touré about her experiences with Diddy.
“You know, we all have stories,” Ray said in the clip. “Seriously, we all have stories. Mine is horrific, and only five people know it. And I probably will never tell it but it’s since then I’ve been like, ‘Yup.’ And I’m also very intimately aware that if you tell your truth you become victimized over and over and over and over and over. And mind you, I then interviewed him many times.”
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is currently in jail awaiting trial
Combs is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Complex in Brooklyn, a jail that is notorious for its poor living conditions. Two judges have denied him bail.
“[Combs] is being treated like any other detainee awaiting trial,” a source said, per People. “As with all public figures in his position, he was placed on suicide watch upon admittance to the facility as a precaution.”
Diddy’s trial will begin on May 5, 2025.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to connect with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
