NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — Under a month after a shocking video of Sean “Diddy” Combs beating his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016 was made public, Mayor Eric Adams sent letters to the artist’s team requesting that he return his key to NYC.
In a letter addressed to Combs’ global communications leader Nathalie Moar, Adams wrote that he was disturbed by the content of the video and proclaimed that he “strongly [condemns] these actions and [stands] in solidarity with all survivors of domestic and gender-based violence.”
The letter, obtained by 1010 WINS/WCBS 880, is one of two that the mayor sent on June 4 rescinding the key. One was sent to a New York address, and another to a Los Angeles address.
“The Key to the City of New York is presented to individuals whose service to the public and the common good rises to the highest level of achievement, and who act as a model for fellow and future New Yorkers,” the letter continues. “After internal deliberations, the Key to the City of New York committee recommended nullifying and rescinding Mr. Combs' key.”
Adams said that he accepted the recommendation of the committee, and requested that Combs mail the key back to the mayor’s office in City Hall "immediately."
Deputy Mayor for Communications Fabien Levy confirmed that the key was received on June 10 and is back in City Hall’s possession.
Adams first indicated that the city may take back the key in an interview with 1010 WINS on May 29, noting that the video was "disturbing to everyone." But because a key has never been revoked from a recipient before, the mayor said that he wanted to make sure the decision was thoughtfully made.
"We want to make sure that once we set precedent, that we do it correctly, but I have a lot of faith in the committee and they will come and give me their recommendation,” Adams said at the time. “Once you put a process in place, you don't want to make arbitrary decisions because now we're setting precedent and we, I, want them to be smarter decisions."
The key was first given to Combs, a New York native, in a Times Square ceremony on Sept. 15. “The bad boy of entertainment is getting the key to the city from the bad boy of politics,” Adams said as he handed the oversized key to Combs.
The video footage that led to the key's revocation was first aired by CNN on May 17 and closely resembles the description of an assault that R&B singer Cassie outlined in a November lawsuit accusing Combs of years of violence and sexual abuse.
Ventura’s lawsuit was settled the day after it was filed, though Combs’ team noted that the settlement was not an admission of wrongdoing. The lawsuit did create more scrutiny around the hip-hop producer, however, prompting several more lawsuits to be filed against him and momentum to build in a federal sex trafficking investigation.
Following the video’s release last month, Combs posted an apology video where he said he committed the violence during some of the “darkest times” of his life.
“My behavior on that video is inexcusable,” Combs said. “I take full responsibility for my actions in this video. They’re disgusting. I was disgusted then when I did it, I’m disgusted now.”