The allegations continue to stack up against Sean “Diddy” Combs. Vibe Magazine’s former editor-in-chief, Danyel Smith, accused the Bad Boy founder of allegedly threatening to have her “dead in the trunk of a car.”
In a candid and unsettling essay penned for the New York Times, Smith revealed that the harrowing incident dates back to 1997 when Combs was set to grace the cover of Vibe in promotion of his album “No Way Out.”
The photo was inspired by Warren Beaty’s 1987 movie Heaven Can Wait. It depicts the music mogul dressed in all white, peering over his glasses, with an angel behind him. The cover was tagged “The Good, Bad, and the Puffy.”
Smith writes in her essay that Diddy requested to see the cover before it went to press. However, it was against Vibe’s company policy for anyone to preview the cover.
“Combs wanted to see the Vibe covers before they went to press. It wasn’t our policy to show covers before publication,” she stated in the NYT article.
Smith recalls that Combs, accompanied by “two associates,” stormed the Vibe offices, determined to find the cover photos. What ensued was a tense search across various cubicles and offices, with Smith being “shuttled… from office to office” to ensure her safe departure from the building. The situation escalated the following day when Smith alleges she received a threatening call from Diddy.
Despite reiterating the magazine’s policies, she claims Combs ominously threatened, “I will see you dead in the trunk of a car.”
Not backing down, Smith retorted, demanding he rescind his threat. Instead, Diddy allegedly responded with a “f**k you” curse and a menacing follow-up: “I know where you are right now.”
After consulting her lawyer, Smith received an apology from Diddy, but the ordeal was far from over. Shortly after, the Vibe offices were hit by a theft — the heavy servers housing the magazine’s cover photos were stolen, with suspicions of it being an “inside job” involving Diddy’s associates.
Smith’s essay paints a vivid picture of the continued strain of the incident. Though the magazine’s art director had luckily saved copies of the critical files needed for publication, the fear and psychological impact lingered for Smith.
“I had reason to fear for my life,” she reflects. “What happened was insidious. It broke my brain. I forgot the worst of it for 27 years.”
Smith’s recent allegations add to the ongoing legal battles the Bad Boy mogul is facing.