Inside Diddy's New Life Behind Bars: Ex Inmates and More Talk 'Pure Hell'

Sean “Diddy” Combs rang in 2023 with a bang, celebrating the new year with his then-girlfriend Yung Miami and celebrity pals aboard a 278-foot, $117 million superyacht as it cruised the Caribbean waters of St. Barts. At midnight, the hip-hop mogul popped gold bottles of Ace of Spades champagne on the deck of the luxury boat, which features a helipad, a baby grand piano, a Jacuzzi and a wine cellar.

Some 20 months later, the troubled rap star — who was arrested on September 16 
and indicted on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering — is sitting in a tiny, colorless cell at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York. (He denied all charges against him and entered a not guilty plea.) Diddy’s attorney Marc Agnifilo has expressed concerns about his high-profile client’s safety inside the notoriously dangerous jail. “The food is inedible, from what I’ve been told,” Agnifilo said in a September 17 
interview after Diddy was denied bail, adding, “It’s violent. Someone like Mr. Combs might be a target for certain things. We can’t let that happen.”

While Us Weekly does not know the exact current conditions at MDC, several former inmates have discussed their experiences. They tell Us the rapper’s new reality is a harsh one, wildly different from his pampered life at home at his $35 million, 8,000-square-foot Miami mansion, where he’s protected by private security guards and surrounded by friends and family members. (The rapper, 54, is dad to Quincy, 33, Justin, 30, Christian, 26, Chance, 18, twins D’Lila and Jessie, 17, and Love, 22 months.) “It’s a terrible, horrible place,” an inmate who spent three months in MDC in 2019 says. “There’s no air movement, and the food is slop.”

Diddy — worth an estimated $600 million — may be subjected to regular strip searches, limited shower access and little contact with loved ones, not to mention the threat of violence. Prison consultant Sam Mangel describes sections of the facility as “pure hell,” adding, “The MDC is probably the worst federal detention center in the country.”

Close Quarters

Initially, Diddy was put on suicide watch. The former inmate tells Us these prisoners are guarded around the clock and that fluorescent lights and cameras are on 24 hours a day. “You get strip searched every time you leave your cell,” he says. Inmates believed to be a threat to themselves are given rubber shoes and special eating utensils, and personal hygiene products like toothbrushes have to be authorized.

A source tells Us Diddy is now off suicide watch and was moved to protective custody. (He’s in the same housing unit as convicted cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried; convicted sex offenders R. Kelly and Ghislaine Maxwell and NXIVM sex cult leader Keith Raniere have also spent time at MDC.) “It’s for people who have either requested protective custody or need protective custody,” says the source. “So it would be for sex offenders and very high-profile individuals.” The 30 or so inmates on the floor are in single-man cells smaller than normal units. The source adds that there’s also a recreation deck that’s about 500 square feet.

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Stark Contrast

His day-to-day life while behind bars is a far cry from the one he often rapped about and showed off on social media, with a personal chef, assistants and staff to cater to his every whim. Diddy will have to follow a strict schedule for eating, showering (allowed every other day) and doing laundry. (The 1,217 inmates at MDC have a 6 a.m. wake-up call.) Some sources say the food leaves much to be desired. “[There’s] chili, shredded chicken with rice [and] Wednesday is murder burgers — a thin patty like shoe leather,” says the first former inmate. A typical daily menu features oatmeal and bran flakes for breakfast, a chicken patty sandwich for lunch and Salisbury steak for dinner.

After a certain period, prisoners can buy items at the commissary, like tuna packets for $3.45, condiments and chocolate bars. “Everybody tries to go to the commissary and get extra food,” says attorney and Seton Hall University Law School professor Bill Baroni, who served three months in prison after being wrongly convicted of conspiracy and wire fraud and now helps people in the prison system. “[But] at the beginning, you’re not going to have access to that.”

The source says Diddy is able to make phone calls (inmates are given 300 minutes a month for calls) and has some access to email. “Email is timed at like five cents a minute,” says former MDC inmate Blair G, who spent time there in 2016, adding that messages are heavily monitored and are text only. “You can’t receive any images or anything like that.” Visiting hours are limited, and visitors go through background checks.

The Sean John founder — known for wearing Alexander McQueen and Gucci — has been given two uniforms and, according to Blair G, three pairs of socks and used undergarments. He’ll also be strip searched regularly. “You’re subject to a strip search at any time,” says a second former inmate who was incarcerated at MDC in the early 2000s, describing it as an unpleasant experience. “You’re gonna take off all your clothes. [The guard] is gonna check your mouth. He’s gonna tell you to turn around, bend over, spread your butt, cough, turn back around [and] lift your genitals and squat.”

Living in Fear

MDC has a reputation for violence. In 2020, inmate Jamel Floyd died after being pepper sprayed by correction officers, and in July, Edwin Cordero was fatally injured in a fight. Cordero’s lawyer described MDC Brooklyn to the New York Times as “an overcrowded, understaffed and neglected federal jail that is hell on earth.” Cordero’s widow, Ashley, tells Us, “The prison is disgusting. They have rats running through there and everything. No human being should be living like that.” Her advice to Diddy is not to trust anybody. “That prison is obviously not safe.”

The first former inmate says Diddy may be able to ingratiate himself with guards and fellow prisoners. “If the guards take a liking to Diddy, he will get extra food, extra time out of his cell.” Adds Blair G: “He’s rich… so they might not treat him so bad [as a] form of extortion.” However, the second former inmate says Diddy’s fame won’t necessarily translate. “People on the outside would view you as a 10, but you automatically become a 5 in prison. It is a whole other world.” Adds Mangel: “Diddy’s charges are problematic in the Bureau of Prisons. It would not surprise me at all if other people were screaming and threatening him.”

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Easy Target

Diddy’s alleged crimes may put him in danger with other inmates, as Mangel tells Us sexual offenders are “specifically targeted.” In a 14-page indictment that was unsealed on September 17, prosecutors claim he “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him,” adding that the star “engaged in a persistent and pervasive pattern of abuse toward women and other individuals [that] was, at times, verbal, emotional, physical and sexual.”

He’s accused of orchestrating “Freak Offs” in which he would lure female victims into participating in “elaborate and produced sex performances” that often took place in hotel rooms, where he would allegedly ply women with drugs and use “force, threats of force and coercion to cause victims to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers,” which he would also record on video.

His arrest came amid a slew of civil lawsuits filed against him for sexual assault and physical violence — the 11th was filed on September 23. Diddy’s ex Cassie Ventura was the first to file last November, claiming he’d abused her and forced her to have sex with male sex workers. (Diddy has denied the allegations in the civil lawsuits, including with Ventura. The case was settled one day after the November 2023 filing.)

An insider tells Us that Ventura — who has two young children with husband Alex Fine — “is relieved” Diddy is behind bars. “The more stories that have come out about him, the more she feels validated,” says the insider. “She knows a lot more that will come to light, and it is very scary and dark. She finally feels like she can close the door on that chapter.”

Diddy pleaded not guilty to all charges and has denied all of the allegations against him. In a statement to Us, a spokesperson for Sean Combs says, “Mr. Combs remains strong, healthy, and disciplined, fully committed to his defense with the unwavering support of his family, legal team, and the truth. He has not yet had the opportunity to defend himself, and no criminal or civil claims have yet been proven in court. Mr. Combs remains innocent until proven guilty. He will not be distracted by the endless stream of conspiracy theories or the sensationalized reimagination of his life. As for the legendary parties he hosted, they were highly sought after by the world’s most prominent names. Any attempt to distort them is pure fabrication by those who clearly weren’t invited or are making up stories to appear relevant.”

What’s Ahead

If convicted, Diddy faces anywhere from 15 years to life in prison. “In terms of what sentence he’s likely to receive is very dependent on whether it’s a plea deal versus a trial,” says Jennifer Beidel, a former assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York. The next step is for Diddy and his legal team to decide if he will opt for a plea deal or go to trial. In a September 17 interview with CNN, Agnifilo said he planned to take Diddy’s case to trial: “I believe he’s innocent of the charges, and he is going to go to trial, and I believe he’s going to win.” Beidel estimates it would likely be six months to a year until a trial occurred.

His next court appearance is scheduled for October 9. In the meantime, Baroni says Diddy is likely reeling as he adjusts to his new normal. “He’s facing the hardest of times in the hardest of places. His life will never be the same.”

For more on Diddy, watch the exclusive video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

With reporting by Travis Cronin, Sarah Jones, Andrea Simpson & Amanda Williams