The rapper is currently in a New York jail awaiting a federal criminal trial on sex trafficking and racketeering charges, which he denies.

On Wednesday, Diddy’s lawyer said he was suing TV network NBC, its streaming service Peacock and production company Ample over their documentary Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy.

The legal action alleges the documentary featured untrue and defamatory statements about the rapper. The three companies have not yet commented.

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The lawsuit says the “entire premise of the documentary assumes that Mr Combs has committed numerous heinous crimes, including serial murder, rape of minors, and sex trafficking of minors”.

It said the programme “maliciously and baselessly jumps to the conclusion that Mr Combs is a ‘monster'”, and included claims that makers “knew were false or published with reckless disregard as to whether they were false or not”.

Diddy is seeking $100m in damages for the “reputational and economic harm” caused by the documentary.

The lawsuit says the programme “falsely, recklessly, and maliciously accuses Mr Combs of murdering” figures around him including former partner Kim Porter and rapper Christopher Wallace, known as Biggie Smalls and The Notorious BIG.

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Mr Combs’ lawyer Erica Wolff said NBC, Peacock and Ample “made a conscious decision to line their own pockets at the expense of truth, decency, and basic standards of professional journalism”.

They “maliciously and recklessly broadcast outrageous lies”, she said in a statement.

BBC News has asked NBC and Ample for comment.

The lawsuit comes after a string of allegations have been made against the rap star by both men and women over the past 16 months.

It’s thought there are currently more than 30 separate civil lawsuits against him.

The star has been accused of kidnapping, drugging and coercing women into sexual activities, sometimes through the use of firearms and threats of violence. Diddy is also accused assaulting and raping people.

Earlier this month, a lawyer who represents dozens of accusers said he expected Diddy to face more than 10 new civil lawsuits in addition to those previously filed.

Last week, the BBC published an investigation after speaking to more than 20 people who worked with Diddy at his Bad Boy Records, who described troubling incidents they say they witnessed during the label’s 1990s rise.

Mr Combs has consistently denied the allegations in the lawsuits, and has previously labelled them “sickening”. He has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges.

In a previous statement to the BBC, Mr Combs’ lawyer said: “In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone – man or woman, adult or minor.”

The attorney representing the anonymous plaintiff, referred to as Jane Doe, voluntarily withdrew the case, court records show.

The filing was submitted by lawyer Tony Buzbee, who is representing dozens of plaintiffs in lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct against Mr Combs.

The filings states that the plaintiff “hereby gives notice that the… action is voluntarily dismissed, with prejudice”.

Because the dismissal is with prejudice, the lawsuit cannot again be refiled in its current form.

Roc Nation, the entertainment company founded by Jay-Z, whose legal name is Shawn Carter, issued a statement signed by him, referring to the dismissal as a “victory”.

“The frivolous, fictitious and appalling allegations have been dismissed,” he wrote.

“This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere. The fictional tale they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims.”

“The trauma that my wife, my children, loved ones and I have endured can never be dismissed,” said the rapper, who is married to singer Beyoncé.

He continued: “The courts must protect the innocent from being accused without a shred of evidence. May the truth prevail for all victims and those falsely accused equally.”

Jay-Z’s attorney, Alex Spiro, emphasised in a separate statement that the case “never should have been brought”.

“By standing up in the face of heinous and false allegations, Jay has done what few can – he pushed back, he never settled, he never paid 1 red penny, he triumphed and cleared his name,” he said in a statement to the BBC.

Jane Doe initially filed the lawsuit against Mr Combs in October before adding Jay-Z’s name in December. She alleged that both men assaulted her in 2000 after an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty.

Jay-Z strongly denied the allegations, claiming that his attorney had been sent “blackmail” in an attempt to force a settlement. He said the attempt had the “opposite effect” and instead motivated him to publicly challenge the accusations.

In December, Jane Doe gave an interview that raised questions about her credibility. She admitted that “not all the facts are clear” and stated, “I have made some mistakes. I may have made a mistake in identifying.”

Last month, Jay-Z formally requested the court to dismiss the lawsuit, citing inconsistencies in the accuser’s account. The request was approved by United States District Judge Analisa Torres, leading to the lawsuit’s dismissal.

While Jay-Z is no longer facing legal action in this case, Mr Combs continues to battle over three dozen civil suits.

In response to Friday’s dismissal, Mr Combs’ legal team issued a statement declaring his innocence.

“For months, we have seen case after case filed by individuals hiding behind anonymity, pushed forward by an attorney more focused on media headlines than legal merit. Just like this claim, the others will fall apart because there is no truth to them,” the statement says.

It added: “This is just the first of many that will not hold up in a court of law.”

Mr Combs has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, since September 2024 on federal criminal charges related to racketeering and sex trafficking.

He’s been denied bail three times, and will remain in custody until his trial on 5 May 2025.

He also faces dozens of lawsuits from individuals who say they were harmed and exploited by the rapper through drugs, alcohol and physical abuse.

Mr Combs has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges and rejected the accusations in the individual lawsuits, calling them attempts “for a quick payday”.

If convicted, he faces up to life in prison on the racketeering charge and a minimum of 15 years for sex trafficking.

Who is Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs?

Mr Combs – who has also gone by the names Puffy, Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Love, and Brother Love – essentially rewrote the rules of hip-hop shortly after emerging into the music scene in the 1990s.

His early music career success included helping launch the careers of Mary J Blige and Christopher Wallace – aka Biggie Smalls, or the Notorious B.I.G.

His music label Bad Boy Records soon became one of the most important labels in rap and expanded to include Faith Evans, Ma$e, 112, Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez.

Mr Combs also had a prolific business career outside of music, most notably, signing a deal with British drinks company Diageo in 2007 to promote the French vodka brand, Cîroc, in the US.

In 2023, he released his fifth record The Love Album: Off The Grid and earned his first solo nomination at the Grammy awards. He also was named a Global Icon at the MTV Awards that year.

During his decades of achievement, Mr Combs also faced multiple legal challenges.

In May 1999 he was arrested on suspicion of assault. In March 2001 he was found not guilty on charges of gun possession and bribery in connection with a 1999 shooting at a New York club.

In 2003, he was sued for threatening his business partner with a baseball bat, and in 2015 he was arrested over assault charges against his son’s football coach.

What are the charges and allegations against Diddy?

In the federal criminal case, Mr Combs is charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

He is accused of kidnapping, drugging and coercing women into sexual activities, sometimes by using firearms or threatening them with violence.

In a raid on his Los Angeles mansion, police found supplies that they said were intended for use in orgies known as “freak offs”, including drugs and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil.

Tony Buzbee, a Texas lawyer handling some of these cases, said that more than 100 women and men from across the US have either filed lawsuits against the rap mogul or will do so.

In December 2023, a woman known in court papers as Jane Doe alleged that she was “gang raped” by Mr Combs and others in 2003, when she was 17. She said she was given “copious amounts of drugs and alcohol” before the attack.

Mr Combs’ legal team dismissed the flurry of lawsuits as “clear attempts to garner publicity.”

His current legal issues began when he was sued by his ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura, also known as Cassie, in late 2023. She accused him of violently abusing and raping her.

That lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount a day after it was filed, with Mr Combs maintaining his innocence.

Since then, multiple women have filed lawsuits accusing Mr Combs of sexual assault, with accusations dating back to 1991. He denies all claims.

His controversial history with Ms Ventura resurfaced in 2024, when CCTV footage leaked by CNN showed Mr Combs kicking his former girlfriend as she lay on a hotel hallway floor in 2016.

He apologised for his behaviour shortly afterwards, saying: “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.”

What has Diddy said about the charges?

Mr Combs has consistently denied the allegations made against him in the civil lawsuits, and has previously labelled them as “sickening” – suggesting they were “made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday”.

In a statement issued at the start of February – in response to a claim from a lawyer that he would face more than 10 more civil lawsuits – Diddy’s own lawyer restated that his client was innocent.

In a statement to the BBC in response to the federal criminal charges, his lawyer said: “Mr Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process.

“In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone – man or woman, adult or minor.”

Where is Diddy? Is Diddy in jail?

Mr Combs has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York since his arrest on 16 September 2024.

His lawyers have argued for his release in the run-up to the trial, citing the jail’s “horrific” conditions.

Critics describe the prison as overcrowded and understaffed, and describe a culture of widespread violence.

A New York federal judge denied the request for bail, arguing that Mr Combs was a “serious flight risk”.

Prosecutors have alleged that Mr Combs has been breaking prison rules by contacting potential witnesses ahead of the sex trafficking trial.

They accuse him of “relentless efforts” to “corruptly influence witness testimony”.

When is the Diddy trial and how long will it last?

US District Judge Arun Subramanian ruled his trial will begin on 5 May.

Prosecutor Emily Johnson told the judge that the government will need three weeks to present its case.

Defence lawyer Marc Agnifilo said the rapper’s team will need a week for theirs.

Mr Combs’ trial – scheduled to take place at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan courthouse in New York City – is expected to be public.

All of Mr Combs’ court proceedings thus far have been open to the media and the public, but not livestreamed.

Most federal courts do not allow cameras or electronics in the courtroom.

How long could Diddy spend in jail?

Mr Combs faces up to life in prison if convicted on the racketeering charge.

He faces another statutory minimum sentence of 15 years if he is found guilty of the sex trafficking charge.

The announcement from Tony Buzbee came as he filed another legal case in New York on behalf of an unnamed male, who claims he was assaulted by the music mogul in 2015.

The lawsuit states the accuser, a 23-year-old man, was performing at an event that Combs was attending, and hoped to be signed to his label, Bad Boy Records. The accuser said he was drugged at an afterparty and assaulted, the suit states.

A spokesperson for Combs did not immediately respond but the rapper has vehemently denied the allegations against him – which has included drugging, assaulting and raping people.

He’s also facing federal charges in a racketeering and sex trafficking scheme, to which he has pleaded not guilty.

Mr Buzbee, who is based out of Texas, has played a key role in numerous cases against Combs over the past year, including one that also named Jay-Z as a defendant (Jay Z has denied these allegations and asked the court to dismiss the case).

He said he plans to file more than 10 lawsuits in the next seven to 10 days, as a deadline approaches on 1 March in New York – the last day of a law that allows victims of past sexual assault to file civil lawsuits, despite an expired statute of limitations.

The new lawsuit stems back to 2015 when the plaintiff secured an opportunity to perform at a nightclub in the Los Angeles area, where Combs was in attendance.

Combs’ associate informed the accuser that the rapper had heard of his talent and would be watching, the lawsuit states. He was told that if he performed well, Combs might be interested in discussing a deal with Bad Boy Records – a successful record label the rapper founded in 1993.

After what the plaintiff believed to be an “excellent performance”, he was invited to attend an afterparty, where the VIP section contained “countless bottles of Combs’ vodka, Ciroc,” as well as “substances such as marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy”, the lawsuit states.

An associate of the music mogul handed the accuser a drink, saying it was from Combs. After drinking it, the plaintiff “quickly felt lightheaded” and realised he had been “drugged”, the lawsuit states. He then lost consciousness.

The lawsuit states that while he drifted in and out, he observed Combs and his entourage allegedly engaging in “group sexual activity” with attendees who appeared “either drugged, unconscious, or as if they were paid escorts.”

He said he woke up to being assaulted by Combs, the lawsuit states. When he tried to leave, Combs’ security intervened and the rapper threatened to derail his career chances, the lawsuit alleges.

Combs is currently facing more than 30 civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault and misconduct. He’s currently in a New York jail awaiting a federal criminal trial on sex trafficking and racketeering.

The anonymous accuser alleges she was assaulted at a house party after the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) in New York and that an unnamed female celebrity was in the room at the time.

In a statement, Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, dismissed the legal action as a “blackmail attempt”.

Mr Combs – who is in jail awaiting trial after being charged in September with sex-trafficking and other offences – denied the latest accusation.

The lawsuit was originally filed in October, and was refiled on Sunday to list Mr Carter as a defendant.

The legal action was filed under New York’s Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, by a Texas-based lawyer, Tony Buzbee.

Mr Buzbee has filed several lawsuits in recent months accusing Mr Combs of assault and rape. The hip-hop artist is due to face a criminal trial on 5 May.

Mr Carter said in a statement posted to social media: “My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a ‘lawyer’ named Tony Buzbee.

“What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle.

“No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion. So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!”

A statement from Mr Combs’s legal team said this amended lawsuit was the latest in a series of “shameless publicity stunts, designed to extract payments from celebrities who fear having lies spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr Combs”.

The statement said that the judicial process would show Mr Combs to be innocent of all the allegations against him. He faces 30 other lawsuits.

The accuser in Sunday’s legal filing, who is identified only as “Jane Doe”, said that in 2000, when she was 13, a friend dropped her off at the VMAs at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan.

She approached limousine drivers outside the venue to try to gain access to the show, according to the legal action.

One driver told her that he was employed by Mr Combs and that she “fit what Diddy was looking for”, says the lawsuit.

Later that evening the chauffeur drove her to a party at a white house, according to the legal action.

Jane Doe says when she arrived at the party she was asked to sign a document, which she believes was a non-disclosure agreement, says the lawsuit.

The legal action says she recognised “many celebrities” at the party and observed widespread drug use, including cocaine.

A waitress offered her a drink that made her feel “woozy”, so she went into a room to lie down, according to the lawsuit.

Soon afterwards, the legal action says, Mr Combs and Mr Carter entered the room with a female celebrity, described as Celebrity B. “Plaintiff immediately recognized all three celebrities,” says the lawsuit.

The legal action says Mr Combs approached her “with a crazed look in his eyes”, grabbed her and said: “You are ready to party!

“Mr Carter held her down and raped her, before Mr Combs did the same, all while Celebrity B watched, according to the lawsuit.

Jane Doe fought back during the assault and when Mr Combs backed away in surprise she escaped, the legal action says.

The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, says the plaintiff still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression as a result of the alleged rapes.

In his statement, Mr Carter, who is married to Beyoncé, with whom he has three children, said: “My only heartbreak is for my family.

“My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people.”