Sean “Diddy” Combs’ hopes for an early release from prison have been firmly dashed.
President Donald Trump confirmed he will not consider pardoning the music mogul, who was sentenced to four years in federal prison in October 2025 after being convicted on two prostitution-related charges. In an interview with The New York Times published Thursday, January 8, Trump revealed that Combs personally reached out to him in hopes of receiving clemency — but to no avail.
“He asked me for a pardon,” Trump said, referring to a letter Combs sent requesting relief. The president made it clear he has no intention of granting one.
Combs’ conviction followed a closely watched trial that put the once-untouchable hip-hop mogul under intense scrutiny. Prosecutors relied heavily on testimony from Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, Combs’ ex-girlfriend, who described being subjected to what she called “freak-offs” — voyeuristic, drug-fueled sex parties involving male escorts. Ventura testified that the experiences caused her deep humiliation and emotional distress.
Combs’ legal team maintained throughout the trial that all sexual encounters were consensual. The Bad Boy Records founder did not testify in his own defense. Ultimately, a jury acquitted Combs of the most serious charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering, but found him guilty on the prostitution counts that led to his prison sentence.
The verdict marked a stunning fall for Combs, who has been a dominant force in hip-hop since founding Bad Boy Records in 1993 under monikers like Puff Daddy and P. Diddy. In recent years, his public image has unraveled amid a wave of civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual abuse — allegations he has repeatedly denied.
Federal scrutiny intensified in March 2024, when agents raided Combs’ properties in Los Angeles and Miami. He was arrested in Manhattan six months later following a grand jury indictment, setting the stage for the high-profile case.
Trump’s refusal to pardon Combs came as part of a broader discussion about clemency. During the same interview, the president said he would not issue pardons to several other controversial figures, including former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, disgraced cryptocurrency executive Sam Bankman-Fried and former Democratic senator Robert Menendez.
Asked directly about Maduro — who was recently seized by U.S. forces and faces drug trafficking charges — Trump responded, “No, I don’t see that.” He also said he had no plans to pardon Bankman-Fried, who is serving a 25-year sentence for fraud, or Menendez, who is serving 11 years for bribery and obstruction.
When questioned about the possibility of pardoning Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted in the 2020 murder of George Floyd, Trump replied, “I haven’t been asked about it.”
While Trump has previously granted clemency to high-profile figures — including Todd and Julie Chrisley, Lil Wayne and Kodak Black — it appears Combs will not be joining that list. On the day of his inauguration, Trump also pardoned more than 1,500 individuals convicted of or charged in connection with the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, along with several political loyalists in the weeks that followed.
