Amid his ongoing feud with Sean “Diddy” Combs, fellow rapper 50 Cent reacted to the accusations that certain fans were allegedly paid to show their support for the embattled entertainer outside the New York City courthouse amid his ongoing sex trafficking trial.
“Diddy paying people to wear ‘Free Diddy’ shirts is diabolical, but $20 a hour [sic] ain’t bad,” 50 Cent, 49, wrote via Instagram on Sunday, May 18. “I might go throw that on for an hour tomorrow. LOL.”
The rapper (real name Curtis Jackson) also uploaded news footage of several individuals wearing black T-shirts that read, “Free Diddy” or “Free Puff.” The group was standing near the courthouse where Diddy, 55, is currently standing trial. (The courtroom proceedings began earlier this week.)
Diddy has not confirmed whether his team was, in fact, paying random fans a stipend to wear supportive merchandise. Us Weekly has reached out for comment.
The disgraced music mogul was arrested in September 2024 on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has denied all allegations against him and has pleaded not guilty.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Diddy’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo told Us in a statement at the time. “Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children and working to uplift the Black community. He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal.”
Years before Diddy stood trial, he had a longstanding feud with 50 Cent. Back in 2006, 50 Cent claimed in his “The Bomb” that Diddy had knowledge of the 1997 murder of the Notorious B.I.G.
“Who shot Biggie Smalls? We don’t get ‘em / They gonna kill us all,” 50 Cent raps. “Man, Puffy know who hit that n****.”
50 Cent has never had proof of Diddy’s involvement in the murder. Diddy, for his part, has frequently denied that he had any information about the killer over the years.
The rap stars’ feud continued to escalate, leading up to Diddy’s misconduct scandal and arrest.
“Look, it seems like I’m doing some extremely outrageous things, but I haven’t,” 50 Cent told People in October 2024, discussing his frequent comments about Diddy. “It’s really me just saying what I’ve been saying for 10 years.”
He added, “Now it’s becoming more full-facing in the news with the Puffy stuff. But away from that, I’m like, ‘Yo, it’s just my perspective because I stayed away from that stuff the entire time, because this is not my style.’”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support. If you or someone you know is a human trafficking victim, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
