Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested by Homeland Security in a midtown Manhattan hotel last night, just hours after he was seen walking through New York City with his son, Christian, and posing for photos with fans. The arrest followed a grand jury indictment, capping a day that began with Combs seemingly unfazed in public.
The music mogul, known for adopting multiple monikers throughout his career, has now inspired a fresh round of nicknames and catchphrases, sparked by legal troubles stemming from a lawsuit filed by his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.
Here are seven nicknames and phrases currently associated with Combs.
- No Diddy
No Diddy almost immediately replaced expressions like “Pause” — and another phrase that is deemed homophobic.
- Diddler
Diddler is another nickname that surfaced on social media almost immediately following his legal woes earlier this year. It rhymes with Riddler, the DC Comics villain and Batman nemesis, and the word Diddle means to cheat or swindle. Diddy is being accused of much worse.
- Puff Daddy
The best-selling album of Combs’ career as a solo artist in No Way Out credited to Puff Daddy and the Family. Combs appears on the album cover with five artists signed to his Bad Boy Records at the time: Jadakiss, Styles P, and Sheek Louch — collectively known as the Lox — Mase and the now-deceased Black Rob. The album also featured the Notorious B.I.G., Busta Rhymes, Lil Kim, Carl Thomas, Ginuwine, Twista, Foxy Brown, Faith Evans and 112.
- Diddy Epstein
In yet another unflattering nickname, Sean Combs has been called Diddy Epstein on social media, likening him to Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of procuring a child for prostitution and of soliciting a prostitute.
- Love
Combs legally changed his middle name from John to Love, but that nickname did not seem to pick up the popularity of some of his other names.
- P Diddy
A nickname given Combs by the Notorious B.I.G. and used on the No Way Out album.
7. Puffy
A shortened version of Puff Daddy, it became the most-used phrase associated with the hip-hop mogul.
Combs is scheduled to be in a New York City court later today.
