Sean “Diddy” Combs faces new allegations of having threatened former Vibe editor-in-chief Danyel Smith, reportedly telling her she would end up “dead in the trunk of a car” in response to her refusal to allow him to see photos from a contentious magazine cover.
On Friday, Smith penned a personal essay published in The New York Times Magazine , recounting one of the most harrowing experiences of her career as the newly-appointed editorial leader at Vibe. The incident occurred in 1997, a period marked by the shocking murders of hip-hop legends Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G., which profoundly shook the music industry. At the time, Smith was assembling the layout for the December 1997/January 1998 double issue, with Combs in consideration for the cover.
Despite the tragic loss of his protégé, the Bad Boy Records mogul was at the pinnacle of his musical career with the release of his debut album, No Way Out , which sold over seven million copies. Smith wanted him on the cover wearing white feathered wings reminiscent of the 1978 Warren Beatty film Heaven Can Wait. The September 1997 shoot would include a blend of photos, “one featuring heavenly signifiers and another with hellish ones,” as described by Smith.
She then recalled Combs contacting her days later, requesting to see the photos before publication. However, Smith informed him that due to company policy, she couldn’t accommodate his request, leading to escalating tensions between them.
“It wasn’t our policy to show covers before publication, so after I told him no, we heard that he planned to come to our office and force us to show him what we’d chosen — and to make us choose something else if he didn’t like what he saw,” Smith explained in the essay.
Smith was determined to feature Combs on the cover, even if it meant potentially compromising her safety. She revealed that several Vibe employees assisted her in devising an escape plan from the office in case Combs unexpectedly showed up that day. He did. The Harlem native stopped by the office with two of his security guards, asking the receptionist “Where’s Danyel?” prompting her colleagues to quietly whisk her away in a taxi with proofs of the cover shots.
The following day, Smith found herself back in her office, this time ready to confront Combs as he called again, pressing to see the proofs.
“He wanted to see the covers. I was still on message: ‘It’s not what we do.’ It was then that Combs told me, as I’ve retold hundreds of times over the years, that he would see me “dead in the trunk of a car.” Not missing a beat, I told him he needed to take that threat back. “Take it back,” I said, sounding as if I were 10.”
The pair exchanged words, with Smith demanding him to take back the threat or she would call her lawyer and take legal action against him.
He then said, “I know where you are right now. Right on Lexington.”
Smith immediately contacted her lawyer, prompting Combs to send a fax with an apology within two hours of their conversation.
“I’ve always remembered the threatening call,” she said.
Smith and the Vibe staff encountered numerous challenges with the controversial double cover. She recounted that several of their servers were stolen from the office, including one containing the entire issue’s content. Fortunately, they managed to recover it when the art director, who had a backup on her home disk, retrieved the data. This allowed them to successfully publish the Angel/Devil-inspired cover featuring Combs.
These allegations against Combs are the latest to surface amidst a series of accusations made by former friends, colleagues, classmates, and his former girlfriend Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura . Ventura filed a lawsuit against him in November 2023, alleging charges of sexual assault and physical abuse.
Most Popular
Comments / 0