Sean Combs back in solitary confinement after report on prison life

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been placed back in solitary confinement at a federal prison in New Jersey.

The music executive is being held in a special housing unit, the separate block used for isolation, after an NBC News report on his life inside. It is his second spell in isolation. His first followed a physical fight with another prisoner in July, according to Rolling Stone.

Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, is serving a 50-month sentence at Fort Dix in New Jersey. He was convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. His release date has been brought forward to January 2028.

NBC News reported that Combs was living a sheltered routine inside the low-security facility. The outlet said he used a contraband mobile phone to scroll Instagram, kept a private stash of premium liquor described as Hennessy, and had access to a jailbroken tablet to watch a Netflix documentary about himself.

The report also said Combs directed thousands of dollars to other prisoners in exchange for favours. Those included cooking meals, scrubbing showers and toilets before he used them, and giving massages, according to NBC News and Reuters.

A spokesperson for Combs rejected that picture. The spokesperson described the coverage as a sensational account of “ordinary prison life” and said Combs continues to serve his sentence while awaiting a court decision on his appeal. A representative had earlier denied the claims about contraband and payments to other prisoners.

Rolling Stone said it had reviewed an Instagram account believed to belong to Combs. The account is among the 365 accounts followed by his publicist’s account, the magazine reported.

Prison officials have not publicly explained the reason for the latest placement or how long it will last.