Bishop T.D. Jakes’ Name Appears in Lawsuit Filed Against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
The lawsuit does not accuse Jakes of wrongdoing.
According to a lawsuit filed against music artist Sean “Diddy” Combs by his former producer, Combs planned to “to leverage his relationship with Bishop T.D. Jakes to soften the impact” of a lawsuit by Combs’ former girlfriend.
T.D. Jakes / Video screenshot via YouTube
The lawsuit, filed in February in New York by Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, seeks $30 million in damages, according to reporting by ChurchLeaders.
Questions about Jakes’ relationship with Combs have been raised again given the New York lawsuit and the raid on Combs’ homes in Florida and California by federal agents as part of a sex trafficking investigation. Combs’ attorney Aaron Dyer called the raid a “gross overuse of military-level force” and insisted on Combs innocence.
A video of Jakes at a party for Combs’ 53rd birthday in Los Angeles emerged in 2022 with concerns about the pastor’s presence there.
“As a filmmaker, executive producer and one of the pioneers of value-based movies, Bishop Jakes, in his role as CEO of T.D. Jakes Entertainment, paid respect to the former chairman of Revolt during the celebration of his birthday,” Derrick Williams, executive vice president of T.D. Jakes Entertainment told the Christian Post about the video.
“Bishop Jakes was in [Los Angeles] for important business meetings, and we felt that a quick appearance at the former chairman of Revolt’s birthday event was the respectful thing to do since Bishop Jakes’ sermons are aired on the Revolt Network,” he explained.
“We both greeted the family, Bishop Jakes recorded a brief celebratory birthday video and left immediately to take our other scheduled meetings. Any accusation to the contrary is wholly unsubstantiated, unverified, and false,” Williams added.
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In 2021, Combs announced that a weekly series featuring Jakes would air on REVOLT TV, the media company he chairs.
“This partnership with REVOLT is a great opportunity to further expand our reach to a younger generation,” Jakes said. “In the last year or two, many young people have been adversely affected by a mix of economic woes and a pandemic both here in the United States and around the world,” Jakes affirmed. “I am looking forward to an alliance that engages with this unique audience while also empowering and uplifting them.”
A report by Billboard indicates that Combs sold his stake in REVOLT TV to an anonymous buyer in late March after the raids on his homes.
Christian hip hop artist Lecrae has admitted to attending some of Combs’ and other parties, where he would go to connect with people in the industry.
He said, “People will test you and see what your limits are.” But Lecrae never felt forced to participate in immoral activities.
Late last year, Combs and Cassie Ventura settled a lawsuit she had filed in federal court accusing him of rape and years of sexual abuse.
The New York suit filed by Jones includes a claim under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act.
Jones claims that he was deceived and lured into “transport[ing] drugs (ecstasy, cocaine, GHB, ketamine, marijuana, and mushrooms), transport[ing] firearms, solicit[ing] minors, exotic dancers, sex workers, and utilize[ing] [his] talents and labor to produce music, and other tangible goods and services without compensation.”
He also brought a claim against Combs for sexual assault and sexual harassment, saying “Mr. Combs forcibly touched and attempted and/or threatened to touch Plaintiff’s intimate areas and/or touched Plaintiff with his own intimate body parts.”
In his lawsuit, Jones asserts that Combs and his fellow defendants participated in and perpetrated a “sex-trafficking” venture.
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