The documentarian hired to film Sean “Diddy” Combs over the past two years has shed light on how Netflix obtained behind-the-scenes footage of Combs in the days leading up to his arrest.
Michael Oberlies squashed online rumors of there being a “fee dispute or contract issue,” instead claiming 50 Cent and the director of Sean Combs: The Reckoning seemingly wound up with the footage because he hired a freelancer to briefly fill in for him.
“For over two years we have been working on a project profiling Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs,” Oberlies says in a statement provided to Rolling Stone. “The footage in question was not released by me or anyone authorized to handle Sean Combs’ materials; it was by a third party who covered for me for three days while I was out of state. This incident had nothing to do with any fee dispute or contract issue. The actions of the parties involved reflect the lack of integrity every storyteller should uphold. Taking footage intended for our project to advance a narrative that was not our own is both unethical and unacceptable.”
How Netflix obtained the jaw-dropping footage for the four-episode documentary has been a dominating theme surrounding the project. Director Alexandria Stapleton and Netflix have been adamant the footage was “legally obtained,” they said in previous statements.
Cameras show Combs at his Park Hyatt hotel room in New York City on September 10, 2024 — just six days before he was arrested. (The 56-year-old was acquitted of the more serious charges in July, but was sentenced to 50 months in prison after being found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution charges.)
Though relatively brief, the footage gives an unprecedented look into Combs’ inner sanctum. In the process of filming his own potential documentary, Combs instructs his criminal defense attorney Marc Agnifilo to forget about only appearing on CNN to pump out his narrative, but to find “somebody that has dealt in the dirtiest of dirtiest, dirty business of media and propaganda” to target potential jurors on Instagram and TikTok.
He gives pointers to the apparent fill-in videographer, telling them to get “cutaway shots” of police officers who happen to be on a nearby roof. Combs hugs and smiles with fans at a local Harlem bar, but once back in his SUV, Combs laughs about needing hand sanitizer and wanting to take a hot bath because he’s “been out in the streets amongst the people.”
Combs was also seen raging in real time when he learned of former Danity Kane and Diddy-Dirty Money artist Dawn Richard’s sexual harassment lawsuit against him, declaring the “gloves are off.” He directed people in his camp, including his adult son Justin, to circulate old clips of Richard praising him in interviews. He also called in a favor from Diddy-Dirty Money member Kalenna Harper, begging her to release a statement disputing Richard’s claims. During pre-trial hearings, Southern District of New York prosecutors pointed to Combs’ repeated calls and texts to Harper as a form of witness tampering. (Harper eventually released a statement. Combs’ attorneys denied the accusation.)
Oberlies has worked with Combs since at least 2019. A resident personal photographer for the music mogul, the 36-year-old captured Combs’ star-studded 50th birthday at his Los Angeles house; documented him as he recorded 2023’s The Love Album: Off the Grid; and even accompanied Combs’ adult sons to court in a show of support when Combs was arraigned on federal sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges on Sept. 17, 2024. (Rolling Stone has reached out to the freelance videographer for comment.)
Combs was seemingly caught off guard that Netflix had obtained the footage, with his team sending a cease and desist letter to Netflix before the documentary aired.
Calling the project a “hit piece,” and accusing the streamer of violating copyright laws if they aired the footage, attorneys for Combs vowed he “has not hesitated to take legal action against media entities and others who violate his rights, and he will not hesitate to do so against Netflix,” according to a copy of the letter obtained by Rolling Stone. (Earlier this year, Combs sued NBCUniversal for $100 million over its documentary Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy. The case is ongoing.)
However, since the documentary aired, Combs has taken no legal action against Netflix. Director Stapleton has previously maintained she obtained the footage “legally” and had the “the necessary rights” to include it. “We moved heaven and Earth to keep the filmmaker’s identity confidential,” she said in a statement. “One thing about Sean Combs is that he’s always filming himself, and it’s been an obsession throughout the decades. We also reached out to Sean Combs’ legal team for an interview and comment multiple times, but did not hear back.”
