In light of the sex trafficking allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs, the music producer’s former relationship with Jennifer Lopez has come under scrutiny once again. However, one of J.Lo’s former workers recently defended the singer, arguing that she was not aware of her ex’s alleged criminal activities.
Thea de Sousa, who worked as an assistant producer in the development of Jennifer’s 2002 rom-com Maid In Manhattan, took to Threads—a social media app from Meta—to insist on the pop star's innocence.
Highlights
- J.Lo's ex-staffer insists she was unaware of Diddy's alleged crimes.
- Jennifer Lopez, who dated Diddy briefly from 1999 to 2001, said their relationship was "tumultuous."
- Diddy faces sex trafficking, racketeering, and criminal enterprise charges.
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“If you knew Jennifer Lopez, if you ever worked with her like I did, or if you were close with people who are like family to her like I am, you would know she did not have any idea about Diddy,” Thea penned.
“'She barely drinks, she is not a partier, she isn’t a good time girl, she is a workaholic who uplifts women and who was charmed by him for a brief time in her life.
“She does not deserve to be conflated with his shocking and criminal misdeeds,” the former Hollywood developer concluded.
J. Lo and Diddy dated briefly from 1999 to early 2001
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During a 2019 appearance on The Breakfast Club radio show, the Marry Me singer described their time together as “tumultuous.”
“The Puffy era was just kind of a crazy, heightened time in my life. You know, Puffy and I both grew up in the Bronx.
“He had been in the music business and had all this success; I was just starting and making my first album when I met him. He became kind of a mentor to me at that moment. We had this kind of crazy, tumultuous relationship that ended in a bang.”
“She does not deserve to be conflated with his shocking and criminal misdeeds,” Thea de Sousa wrote on Threads
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Image credits: Christopher Polk / Getty
Jennifer suggested at the time that she had ended her relationship with the hip-hop mogul in February 2001 because he had been unfaithful. "I never caught him but I just knew. He’d say he was going to a club for a couple of hours and then never come back that night," the mom of two told Entertainment Weekly in 2003.
"I had to think, ‘Do I want to be home with kids in 10 years wondering where somebody is at three in the morning?’"
Jennifer was recently captured on video avoiding a question about her ex after attending the AFI FEST 2024 screening of Unstoppable.
"J.Lo, do you have any comments about P. Diddy and the allegations?" a fan asked the artist, who stopped signing autographs and walked away.
Jennifer previously described her relationship with the hip-hop mogul as "tumultuous"
Image credits: KMazur / Getty
Last September, Diddy was arrested on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and the "creation of a criminal enterprise in which he abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.”
The latest batch of lawsuits include allegations from two men who were underage at the time of the alleged sexual assaults, the BBC reported.
Federal prosecutors allege that the 55-year-old used drugs, violence, and the power of his status to "lure female victims" into extended sex acts.
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Adria English, one of his accusers, claimed that Diddy had used her as a "sexual pawn for the pleasure and financial benefit of others” during the infamous White Parties he hosted in New York and Miami.
The Harlem-born rapper pleaded not guilty and was twice denied bail. His attorney told reporters he was a "fighter" who was "not afraid of the charges."
He is currently in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, while awaiting his next court appearance. His trial is set to begin on May 5, 2025. If convicted, he faces a sentence of anywhere from 15 years to life in prison.