‘You Gotta Get Some Help!’: T.D. Jakes Addresses Diddy’s Violent Attack on Cassie as Fans Detect Mogul’s Apology Shows Clues He’s Left the Country
On Sunday, May 19, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs took to Instagram to issue an apology for his actions against former girlfriend Cassie Ventura stemming from a 2016 domestic violence incident caught on a hotel’s surveillance footage. While many of his fans and critics have shared their thoughts on the footage since it was shared by CNN on Friday, May 17, Bishop T.D. Jakes, a longtime associate of Combs, used the first few minutes of his Sunday sermon to address the topic.
Jakes took the stage at The Potter’s House Dallas, and before beginning his usual sermon, he paused to discuss the weekend’s viral topic. “It wasn’t on the program,” he prefaced. “I got a request that came in over social media that I happened to see as I was coming to church.”
The request was for T.D. Jakes to pray for women who are living in danger in their own homes.
“When I saw the images that have been floating all over the news all week, it became difficult to watch,” Jakes said, revealing that the heartbreaking footage hit close to home. “The atrocious, degrading, demeaning, debauchery. I know who it was, but I saw my daughters. As a man, I saw my daughters. And it made me angry. It made me angry.”
T.D. Jakes (left) says Diddy (right) needs help as video of the rapper’s 2016 attack on Cassie in a hotel hallway circulates on the internet. (Photos: Cooper Neill/Getty Images for MegaFest 2017, @diddy / Instagram )
Bishop T.D. Jakes then reminds the congregation that both the abused and abuser can be anyone, educated, uneducated, churched, unchurched, rich or poor, but regardless of who they are, they need help — spiritually and professionally.
“Let me tell you a couple of things before we pray, both for the victims and the perpetrator,” said Jakes. “There’s something you need to understand. If you got a rage you can’t control, if you have an emotional problem, a mental health issue where you’re bipolar and your kids get scared when they hear your car coming home, You gotta get some help, dude!”
“I got mad like it was me,” Jakes said before asking the congregation to join hands with their neighbors in prayer and reminding them that those hands they were joining could also need help.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the world, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs took to Instagram to offer his deep remorse for his past actions against Cassie. In a post captioned “I’m truly sorry,” the Bad Boy CEO says, “It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times of your life but sometimes you gotta do that. I was f—ked up and I hit rock bottom. But I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it, I’m disgusted now.”
According to Combs, he’s sought the help of professionals to grow and become better since the 2016 incident.
“I started going to therapy. I’ve been going to rehab. I’ve had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry,” he says before signing off.
While many skeptics in Diddy’s comments were not buying his apology, noting his Instagram post where he called the recent allegations against him a “character assassination,” several other eagle-eyed fans began examining the background in his video and questioned if the music mogul was still in the country.
“That location looking very non-extraditable,” noted an X user.
“Wouldn’t be surprised if Diddy was out in Bali in between yoga sessions with Russell Simmons when he recorded that,” said one X user.
“Why diddy look like he in Bali with Russell,” Comedian Lil Duval chimed in.
Another X user even did a side-by-side comparison of the Bali compound where Russell Simmons has been since 2018.
Diddy’s whereabouts have not been confirmed, though images posted to his page on May 13 suggest the family took a recent vacation.
However, the video could have also been recorded from Diddy’s Miami home, which is said to have a heavy “Indonesian influence.”
This wouldn’t be the first time the Internet has speculated Diddy has fled the country amid a potential crisis. In March, the former Revolt TV chairman’s private jet headed to the Caribbean island of Antigua while the federal government raided his homes in Miami and Los Angeles. It was suspected that Combs was aboard the chartered flight; however, he was not. Instead, authorities caught up with him in Florida, where his alleged drug mule was arrested.