Before Sean “Diddy” Combs dropped out of college, he allegedly had a serious temper and beat his then-girlfriend with a belt.
In a report published Wednesday by Rolling Stone, an eyewitness claimed that the veteran rapper and mogul was allegedly “super angry” and “screaming at the top of his lungs” during an incident at Howard University in the late 1980s.
“[Diddy] whupped her butt — like really whupped her butt,” the unnamed insider told the outlet.
The onlooker claimed that Combs had used the belt to strike the (also unnamed) young woman repeatedly, causing her to break down in tears.
“She was trying to defend herself a little bit. She was crying,” the insider added. “And we were telling him, ‘Get off of her.’ We were screaming for her.”
Another source, who was also a student at the time, recounted a “belligerent” Combs shouting outside Howard University’s Harriet Tubman Quadrangle. They also described hearing other women frantically alerting people about the alleged incident.
“Puff is out here acting crazy. He’s beating her,” the source recalled other students saying at the time.
According to Rolling Stone‘s investigation, Diddy had already developed a reputation at college for having a short temper before taking a belt to his then-girlfriend.
Witnesses reported Combs appeared to intimidate the young woman by allegedly showing up to her English class and attempting to persuade her to skip it.
“She would tense up [when Diddy showed up],” an alleged classmate told the outlet. “He just had a weird control thing. I felt like she was fearful.”
Diddy’s College ‘Bad Boy for Life’ Antics Allegedly Didn’t Stop with His Girlfriend
However, Diddy’s college antics allegedly didn’t stop with his girlfriend. A former student reported that Diddy became angry when she objected to him cutting in the cafeteria line. Additionally, a female classmate claimed that Combs made her uncomfortable by touching her back without consent.
Meanwhile, Diddy’s lawyer shut down Rolling Stone‘s request for the under-fire pop star to comment on the claims. “Mr. Combs cannot comment on settled litigation, will not comment on pending litigation, and cannot address every allegation picked up by the press from any source, no matter how unreliable,” the lawyer told the outlet.
Combs enrolled at Howard University in the fall of 1987. However, he departed after his sophomore year to pursue an entertainment career.
Of course, recent lawsuits have exposed alleged abuse by Diddy, with ex Cassie Ventura filing claims of rape, physical abuse, and other disturbing actions from their nearly 10-year relationship.
Her lawsuit, filed in November 2023, was quickly settled. However, a surveillance video later showed Combs assaulting Ventura in 2016.