A study from the Pew Research Center found that majorities of Black people believe in ‘racial conspiracy theories,’ specifically that American institutions are designed to hold them back. Pew defines “racial conspiracy theories” as “the suspicions that Black adults might have about the actions of U.S. institutions based on their personal and collective historical experiences with racial discrimination.” 

(After the study was published, Pew later added an editor’s note to its report stating that the study is under review, and using the term “racial conspiracy theories” was “not the best choice” to make. “Black Americans’ doubts about the fairness of U.S. institutions are accompanied by suspicion. How Black Americans think those institutions impact their ability to thrive is worthy of study, and that’s the purpose of this survey,” the Pew editor said.)

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But it seems like his public reputation is finished.

This isn’t always the case with Black celebrities. There are plenty of examples of celebrities who have been able to maintain their success. Chris Brown may have a certain ceiling, but he’s continued to satisfy a loyal fan base despite assaulting Rihanna and having other, less visible cases that followed.

Basketball star Derrick Rose escaped a rape case in 2015 and had fans lauding him three years later when he had a 50-point game. Dr. Dre allegedly violently assaulted women in the 1990s, and he’s weathered the storm enough to even have a new Grammy Award named after him.

Many who have been found guilty of crimes such as sexual assault or domestic violence — whether legally or in the public eye — have been able to redeem themselves through a combination of silence, contrition, and continued quality of whatever product made fans fall in love with them in the first place. It’s all about the veneer of honesty and repentance, followed by art that’s so powerful that people can’t deprive themselves of it. Or, if there’s no proof of the crimes being committed, simply staying out of the public eye before returning with some of their best work.

But Combs’ journey toward public forgiveness is uniquely difficult for two reasons: because of damning video footage and because that footage surfaced after he had already begun the sort of rebranding campaign that allows so many to build themselves back up: In recent years he had taken on several strategic steps toward helping his image: adopting the moniker “Love,” releasing an R&B album loaded with guest appearances by other stars and returning masters ownership to artists who were previously signed to his label Bad Boy. There was still skepticism, but they were still steps in the right direction.

Shortly after Cassie and three others issued explosive lawsuits accusing him of crimes such as rape, sex trafficking, sexual misconduct with minors and more, he released a statement that denied all wrongdoing, with no concessions.

“Enough is enough,” he wrote in a December post. “I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and legacy… Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged.”

By spring 2024, Combs had already begun to lose all that he’d worked for, with his many corporate partners cutting ties. But he still may have had a chance at redemption. Some supporters may have chosen not to believe the allegations at all, adopting one or more of many methods of plausible deniability. They may have claimed that these were simply people going after a payday, that they “knew what they were getting into” by dealing with him, or that this was another example of powers that be corralling in an attempt to take down a Black man who had made it.

Even if people hadn’t believed his denials, they could have convinced themselves that he had changed. Had he stayed out of the public eye and continued his safe, sporadic posts about his family, there would have still been a substantial amount of people who refused to support him, but there also could have been people who came back around.

But the footage from the hotel changed things, because it put his duplicity in such clear and undeniable terms. The video directly corroborated one of the stories that Ventura said in her filing…stories that Combs had denied. Had this video been released upon the time of the lawsuits, he could have apologized, retreated, and returned after extended time away.

But a dismal attempt at accountability after he’s already so clearly lied won’t be enough. It’ll be difficult to forget such damning footage of him assaulting a woman who we so clearly recognize, and even more difficult to reconcile such adamant denials with the truth that we saw. Add that to the repeated memes and catchphrases against him, and the damage could be permanent.

Written By William Ketchum III