Amid the federal raids surrounding Sean “Diddy” Combs and his sex trafficking allegations, Usher recalled seeing “pretty wild” things at 13 years old when he lived with the Bad Boy mogul.
In a resurfaced 2016 interview with Howard Stern, Usher, 45, revealed he witnessed some “very curious things take place” when he was sent by L.A. Reid, the former CEO of Epic Records, to live with Diddy, 54, in New York City for a year when he was a young teenager.
“I went there to see the lifestyle — and I saw it,” the “Superstar” artist explained to the long-time host, adding, “It was pretty wild.”
While Howard asked if Diddy’s place was filled “with chicks and orgies nonstop,” Usher said, “Not really,” but he got a “chance to see some things.”
“I don’t know if I could indulge and understand what I was even looking at,” Usher admitted before noting that famous artists like Biggie Smalls, Lil’ Kim, Craig Mack, Faith Evans and Mary J. Blige were also hanging around at the time. “I was having a good time.”
The “Confessions” artist admitted his parents didn’t know the extent of the living arrangement and he would stay up till 4 a.m. with the A-listers. When asked if he would send his children to “Puffy camp,” Usher quickly answered, “Hell, no.”
Usher’s resurfaced interview follows headlines that the “Last Night” artist’s properties in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by federal agents on Monday, March 25 amid sex trafficking allegations. The raids were ignited after music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones filed a $30 million lawsuit against Combs in February, accusing the New York native of forcing him to procure sex workers and engage in unwanted sex acts with them.
In the lengthy lawsuit, Jones directly accused Diddy of “constant unsolicited and unauthorized groping and touching of his anus.” The producer also claimed Combs drugged him and said he woke up naked in bed with two sex workers.
Diddy’s lawyers issued a statement days later, claiming the raid was a “gross overuse of military-level force” and maintained his innocence amid the allegations.
“There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated. Mr. Combs was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities,” his lawyer, Aaron Dyer, told In Touch in a statement on March 26. “Despite media speculation, neither Mr. Combs nor any of his family members have been arrested nor has their ability to travel been restricted in any way.”
Dyer said authorities made a “premature rush to judgment” and called the allegations a “witch hunt” based on “meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.”
“There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations,” the statement concluded. “Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”
