*Businesses affiliated with Sean “Diddy” Combs are catching a universal downturn from their hip-hop mogul’s current legal troubles.
Chronicling the Combs’ former ventures, Business Insider (BI) noted the impact his numerous sexual assault lawsuits and the resulting pariah status among those he aligned with have had on the livelihood of each business.
Although he had the Midas touch at the height of his fame, it’s a very different picture of Combs, with him currently behind bars on racketeering, sex trafficking by force, and transportation for purposes of prostitution charges after his arrest in September.
The “All About the Benjamins” entertainer, who was temporarily placed under suicide watch, is in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. where he was temporarily placed under suicide watch. Combs’ trial date is set for May 5, 2025.
Here are businesses that Combs worked with or created and their present status amid his ongoing downward spiral, per BI:
Alcohol/Ciroc
In 2007 Combs signed with Cîroc in 2007, making him one of the first celebrities to go into the booze business. As part of a deal with Cîroc’s parent company, the liquor giant Diageo, he agreed to market the vodka in exchange for a cut of sales. Six years later, he formed a joint venture with the company, launching the tequila brand DeLeón.
For years, the partnership was one of Combs’ most lucrative. In a filing last year, Diageo said it had paid him nearly $1 billion over the 15-year relationship. Earlier this year, Combs’ relationship with Diageo ended, with the company cutting ties with him after a series of legal back-and-forths between the parties — and after the first of many sexual assault lawsuits was filed.
“Mr. Combs is well aware that these lawsuits make it impossible for him to continue to be the ‘face’ of anything,” Diageo lawyers wrote last year, pointing to the mounting sexual assault claims.
Although pocketed $200 million for his stake in DeLeón tequila and nothing for his longtime work with Cîroc, things have since dried up for Combs as far as any income he is receiving nowadays. Even if the relationship continued, the money may not have lasted that much longer, Spiros Malandrakis, Euromonitor head of research on alcoholic drinks, told BI.
“Most celebrity pairings tend to eventually lead to diminishing returns,” he said. “The scandals and most recent revelations would just be the proverbial cherry in an already toxic cocktail that was increasingly past its sell-by date.”
Music Catalog
Music is what brought Combs to the table, with Bad Boy Records and its classic roster of artists and hits. As it stands now, the music is one of the music producer/rapper’s last remaining moneymakers, with revenue coming in whenever one of an artist’s records is sold, streamed, played on the radio, or used in a television show or film.
Combs still owns his catalog, which has seen a bump in streaming on Spotify since his federal indictment. Experts point to people still streaming music R. Kelly and Michael Jackson to support the argument that folk haven’t completely abandoned Combs’ catalog.
Despite the streaming bump, BI mentioned that royalties Combs receives for his music have diminished. The “I Need a Girl” hitmaker, reassigned the publishing rights of artists like the Notorious B.I.G. and Faith Evans from his Bad Boy Records catalog last year, a move he labeled at the time as “the right thing to do.”
Danity Cane member Aubrey O’Day questioned Combs’ motivations, stating she had to sign an NDA and refuse to disparage Combs she had to sign an NDA and refuse to disparage him to get the rights back,
As for cashing out and selling his catalog, experts mention that it would be tough for Combs to do so, considering its decreased value from the damage done the current scandals are doing to his reputation.
Clothing/Sean John
In its glory days, Combs’ Sean John clothing line was a big moneymaker for him, with the brand being lauded for its staying power compared to other celebrity brands. At the time, Sean John was reported to be doing $450 million in annual retail sales.
In 2016, Combs’ stake in the business was reduced when he sold a majority stake, which at that point included fragrance and furnishings, to Global Brands Group for a reported $70 million.
Five years later, Sean John is a company that has changed. Global Brands Group filed for bankruptcy, with Combs buying the business back for $7.55 million, just over 10% of what it was once worth.
The sexual assault allegations didn’t make it any easier. Macy’s, the once exclusive home of the Sean John’s sportswear line, pulled the label last fall, though it’s unclear if it was because of the compounding lawsuits.
In addition, Sean John’s online presence has suffered, with its Instagram page wiped clean, and its website on the no longer there.
Revolt
Combs’ income from Revolt, the cable network and media company he cofounded, is another casualty of the accusations against him. Soon after Ventura came forward, Combs stepped down as its chairman. In June, Revolt confirmed he no longer had a stake in the company and that employees were now the largest shareholder group.
Little is publicly known about how much he got for his stake, but there was earnings potential in the company, with its CEO telling Billboard it was profitable in June.
Aquahydrate
It wasn’t a huge moneymaker, but Combs worked for the alkaline water company as a brand ambassador and part-owner with fellow co-owners Mark Wahlberg and Jillian Michaels. Yet he and Aquahydrate are now history with the company cutting ties and Combs is no longer listed on the Aquahydrate website. The brand now seems to be sold mainly online, a contrast to it being previously carried nationwide at grocery stores and pharmacies.
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