Diddy returns key to NYC upon request from Mayor Eric Adams

NEW YORK (NewsNation) — Sean “Diddy” Combs has returned his key to New York City after a request from Mayor Eric Adams after a video surfaced of the rapper attacking his ex-girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie.

A spokesperson for Adams didn’t return NewsNation’s emails for comment but did respond to the New York Post, which reported that “the key was returned after Adams fired off a June 4 letter to Combs,” citing Fabien Levy, deputy mayor for communications.

The city received the key last Monday, the Associated Press reported.

“I strongly condemn these actions and stand in solidarity with all survivors of domestic and gender-based violence. Our city has worked tirelessly to make sure survivors are heard and seen by our administration,” Adams wrote in a letter informing Diddy, adding that he was “deeply disturbed” by the footage.

Adams, a friend of Combs, issued the key to the city in November 2023, two months before Cassie Ventura sued Diddy for sexual assault, trafficking and abuse (charges Diddy denied but settled anyway for a reported $30 million).

Combs’ has been the subject of several accusations of sexual abuse.

In May, CNN aired a security video of Combs attacking Ventura in a hotel hallway in Los Angeles in 2016. Combs has said he is “truly sorry” for the assault.

Howard University also cut ties with Combs this month and revoked his honorary degree, citing his behavior in the video involving Ventura as “fundamentally incompatible” with the university’s values and beliefs.

NewsNation senior story producer Paula Froelich and the Associated Press contributed to this report.