Sean “Diddy” Combs has returned his Key to the City of New York at the request of New York City Mayor Eric Adams three weeks after the music mogul was seen beating his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a leaked video from 2016.
On June 4, Adams sent a letter to Combs, 54, informing him that the key had been rescinded and requesting its immediate return. Copies of the letter were mailed to the rapper’s company Combs Enterprises LLC’s offices in New York and Los Angeles.
Fabien Levy, deputy mayor for communications, confirmed to Fox News Digital on Saturday that the key had been returned to the possession of the city on June 10.
“Like many people, I was deeply disturbed by recent footage of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs assaulting his then partner,” Adams wrote in the letter obtained by Fox News Digital.
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Sean “Diddy” Combs has returned his Key to the City of New York after a request made by Mayor Eric Adams. (Getty)
He continued, “I strongly condemn these actions and stand in solidarity with all survivors of domestic and gender-based violence. Our city has worked tirelessly to make sure survivors are heard and seen by our administration.”
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“The Key to the City of New York is presented to individuals whose service to the public and the common good rises to the highest level of achievement, and who act as a model for fellow and future New Yorkers,” Adams added.
“After internal deliberations, the Key to the City of New York committee recommended nullifying and rescinding Mr. Combs’ key.”
“I have accepted their recommendation and am requesting that Mr. Combs immediately return his Key to the City,” the mayor concluded. “The city record will be updated to reflect our decision.”
In a letter, Adams wrote that he was “deeply disturbed” after watching the video of Combs assaulting his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura. (Raymond Hall/GC Images )
Combs received the key from Adams during a ceremony in New York’s Times Square on Sept. 15, 2023.
Representatives for Combs did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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In the 2016 surveillance video, which was obtained exclusively by CNN and released on May 17, Combs was seen wearing just socks and a towel around his waist as he brutally beat Ventura in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel.
The video corroborated part of Ventura’s November lawsuit against the entertainment mogul. On Nov. 16, Ventura sued Combs in federal court, accusing him of physical and sexual abuse. However, she dropped the case after the parties reached an out-of-court settlement a day later.
Combs received the key from Adams last September. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
The key is not the only accolade that the mogul has lost since the shocking video surfaced.
Last week, Howard University announced on June 7 that it had revoked the honorary degree conferred upon Combs following a unanimous vote by its Board of Trustees.
“Mr. Combs’ behavior as captured in a recently released video is so fundamentally incompatible with Howard University’s core values and beliefs that he is deemed no longer worthy to hold the institution’s highest honor,” read a statement posted on the university’s website.
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I”The Howard University Board of Trustees voted unanimously today to accept the return by Mr. Sean Combs of the honorary degree conferred upon him in 2014,” it continued. “This acceptance revokes all honors and privileges associated with the degree. Accordingly, the Board has directed that his name be removed from all documents listing honorary degree recipients of Howard University.”
Diddy apologized for his “inexcusable” behavior in May but did not mention Ventura by name. (Getty Images)
“The University is unwavering in its opposition to all acts of interpersonal violence,” the statement added.
In addition, the university returned a $1 million donation from Combs, disbanded the scholarship program in his name and terminated a $1 million pledge agreement made in 2023 with the Sean Combs Foundation.
Combs apologized in a May Instagram video, calling his behavior “inexcusable.” However, he never mentioned Ventura by name.
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“It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that. I was f—ed up – I hit rock bottom – but I make no excuses,” he said. “My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video.”
Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
