Celebrity Photographer Described ‘Scary’ Encounter With Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs at Party

After his arrest, Sean Diddy Combs has become as known for his alleged freak-off parties almost as much as he's known for his accomplishments. One photographer, however, gave keen insight into what Diddy's parties were like before his recent controversies.

Celebrity photographer described what she saw at Sean 'Diddy' Combs' parties Sean Diddy Combs | Paras Griffin/Getty Images

Diddy's recent arrest and potential crimes have given new perspective to his well-known Hollywood parties. The music mogul once brought celebrities from all walks of life together under the guise of a good time and solidarity. But nowadays, his parties have a more sinister reputation, accused of exploiting and abusing vulnerable victims for Diddy's purported sexual gratifications. His ex-girlfirend, Cassie Ventura, initially exposed Diddy's freak-offs after being with him for years.

According to BBC, Cassie alleged that, in addition to abusing her, Diddy would coerce her into taking drugs and being intimate with other men. The Bad Boy CEO's actions against Cassie have been a recurring theme, as others have sued him for similar crimes. But on the surface, finding any evidence of these freak-offs might've been hard to spot.

Celebrity photographer Selma Fonseca recently opened up about what little she was exposed to when attending Diddy's parties. Fonseca corroborated most celebrity statements about the producer's festivities, confiding that they certainly lived up to the hype.

"It was like a mini-circus," Fonseca told Fox News Digital. "LeBron James said, 'There's no party, like a Diddy party.' There was a lot of champagne going around and everything else. You could have whatever you wanted."

Fonseca later asserted that she never actually went too inside Diddy's parties, she simply documented them from afar. From her accounts, aside from the glamour and star power, Diddy's parties functioned like most shindigs did. Just on a much grandeur scale.

"I never saw anything out of the ordinary, only that the performers were very sexual and very sexy all the time," she added. "There were geishas walking around. There were women in very skimpy outfits walking around, dancing on top of pedestals. But that's like something that he just wanted, just to entertain people. I've seen naked people at his parties."

She never got close enough to witness any freak-offs. But she did get close enough to the music mogul to catch a different side of him.

"Diddy was in a VIP area, and I saw there was a girl next to him that I had never seen before," she said. "I took pictures of him with the girl, and he told his bodyguard, 'Go get her camera.' The bodyguard came and said, 'Let me see the pictures.'"

This was new for both Fonseca and Diddy, who was always aware of the expert photographer's presence

"He never asked me for my camera. I had been photographing the man for 20 years. It was scary, but he knew better," she said.

Still, nothing came out of the brief but terrifying moment. Fonseca was handed back her camera, which remained intact during the transaction.

Sean 'Diddy' Combs could potentially still have 'freak-offs' in jail according to insider

When Fonseca learned about Diddy's possible transgressions, she had mixed feelings about it.

"I wasn't really surprised, but I was surprised at the same time because I've never seen anything. I've been around this guy so many times backstage at the award ceremonies, I mean all the time. I used to see him probably once a month or more," the photographer added.

Fonseca's mixed feelings towards Diddy may reflect the feelings of the jury, who'll have to decide if Diddy's innocent or not on May, 5, 2025. While awaiting trial, Diddy has been spending his time at the Metropolitan Detention Center prison in Brooklyn, New York. According to The New York Post, the prison is far away from the glamorous lifestyle he's accustomed to. But because of his celebrity status, he's still afforded a few luxuries.

"They are not in cells," said Tiffany Fong, an associate of Diddy's legal team. "You envision them in small cells but they are actually in a unit that is set up like a dorm and designed for high-profile individuals. The president of Honduras was there."

But although Diddy's prison may be fit for a king, it's still a prison. As such, Diddy's amenities include a very small bed, and a lack of the same privacy that free citizens usually enjoy.

"The showers and bathrooms only have a thin curtain for privacy," Fong added. "A lot can be heard by the other inmates."

But according to one former inmate, Diddy could at least party like a free man if he really wanted to. Gene Borrello, who knew his way around MDC, told the publication that Diddy has access to a few women also in the prison.

"There are grates in one of the rooms of 4 North," Borrello said. "They have little holes. If you lay down, you can look through the holes and talk to the women one floor down and see them."

The access would allow Diddy to bring his alleged freak-offs into the prison. But according to Borrello, the women Diddy would potentially have access to in jail wouldn't be like the celebrities and models at his old parties.

"They're gross," Borrello said of the women. "Most of them are drug addicts."

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. 

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