Joe Budden has offered his thoughts on the footage of Diddy assaulting his former parter Cassie and the public apology he issued after the clip went public.
On an episode of The Joe Budden Podcast that aired on Wednesday (May 22), the Slaughterhouse MC discussed the violent incident and how the Bad Boy mogul admitted to it after his previous denial.
“That shit was disgusting, what we all had to witness,” he said. “That shit was almost unbearable to watch. I’m certain that that was triggering for a lot of people that saw it […] I assumed that he would go and just hide somewhere, but why would you do that when you are just a glutton for attention?
“So he pops right back out — talk about tone deaf, talk about inability to read a room. Where are the fucking publicists? Where is anybody in this moment? But he pops back out with this half-hearted, bullshit apology that was like almost offensive, almost like a slap in the face, that apology.”
He continued: “He didn’t even try to put some sincerity into this thing. That CNN/Puff story broke as we were recording, and while we did touch on it, when I listen back, I didn’t feel like enough time was devoted to just how much of a fucking lunatic that n-gga looked like and what that means industry wise, for all parties involved.
“I don’t think this is the last of it, nor do I think he’s the only one. So at any point, [if] we want to start having some uncomfortable conversations, not only am I down for it but I’m down to initiate it, because this shit is a mess and he looks like a fucking nut — he looks like a complete evil piece of shit.”
Last year, Cassie became the first of many to sue the mogul for sexual assault, harassment, misconduct and more. Per documents obtained by HipHopDX, the 37-year-old accused her former partner of rape, sex trafficking and physical abuse, among other things.
As the lawsuits against him continued to pile up, the New York City native released a statement and collectively denied all the claims made against him despite settling the case with the “Me & U” hitmaker out of court.
In disturbing footage from 2016 obtained by CNN, the Bad Boys boss could be seen grabbing his ex by the neck and throwing her to the floor. He then kicked her repeatedly, grabbed her personal items and then kicked her once again before running back to his hotel room. She then tried to use a phone to call for assistance, which prompted the “Tell Me” rapper to shove her down to the ground.
All of this was detailed in Cassie’s lawsuit, which Diddy denied in the aforementioned statement. Yet, he admitted to the beating in his most recent social-media post soon after the assault video went viral.
“It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that. I was fucked up — I mean, I hit rock bottom — but I make no excuses,” the 54-year-old said. “My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.
“I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”
