(NewsNation) — Elliot Ness, also known as E.Ness, said he only knew Sean “Diddy” Combs in a professional music context during their two decades of working together as the media mogul has been hit with multiple lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct.
Ness, a former artist from Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment label who rose to fame on the MTV reality show “Making the Band 2,” says he never witnessed anything shady while with Combs.
“Whenever sexual allegations [are] involved, it’s a pretty big deal,” Ness said during a Sunday interview on “NewsNation Prime.” “I want to reiterate, I never been exposed or witnessed any of these doings.”
Combs, whose homes were raided this week in a federal sex trafficking investigation, is facing a mounting list of lawsuits that allege abuse and sexual assault by multiple victims spanning over 30 years. But while a criminal prosecution could be brewing for the music producer, he has already been hit with a slew of civil suits stretching back to alleged wrongdoing starting in the early 1990s.
“Mainly when I was around, it was just mostly … about music,” he said. “It was a strictly … employee-boss type relationship and apprenticeship, but it was all about music.”
Ness acknowledged the business could be “kind of lopsided” when starting out, recounting an offer of $7,500 to be split among six band members early in his career. But he said larger compensation followed as he learned to understand contracts.
High-profile figures like Justin Bieber and LeBron James have described lavish but unusual parties hosted by Combs, while unidentified industry insiders have hinted at an “open secret” of misconduct reminiscent of Jeffrey Epstein.
Ness maintained he never witnessed inappropriate behavior.
“We’re going to have to sit back and see, as it plays out in court, if charges are actually brung up,” he said.
