Sean Combs’ Mother Denies Abusive Parent Claims in ‘Reckoning’ Doc

Janice Combs, the mother of Sean Combs, has denied claims made in Netflix’s Sean Combs: The Reckoning that she was an “abusive parent” to her son, calling them “untrue.” She also disputed other claims, including about their relationship and his treatment of her.

In a statement provided to Rolling Stone on Saturday, Combs said the docuseries contained “inaccuracies regarding my son Sean’s upbringing and family life” and said it was “intentionally done to mislead viewers and further harm our reputation.”

“As I have stated previously, I was a single mother, raising my son, I held three and even four jobs in an attempt to provide a comfortable upbringing and quality education for my  child,” she said, denying she had been abusive. “I raised Sean with love and hard work, not abuse.” 

Combs said she wrote the statement to “correct some of the lies” in the docuseries. Referring to comments in the doc made by Tim Patterson, an alleged childhood friend of Sean’s, she denied his portrayal of her relationship with Sean, saying it was “not truthful and salacious to promote the series.” She added, “To the contrary, I loved and nurtured Sean. My memories of Sean growing up are one of a respectful and a diligent child and teenager. Sean has always been an industrious, goal oriented, over achiever.”

Another claim in the doc she lambasted came by way of Kirk Burrowes, who co-founded Bad Boy Entertainment with Sean. Burrowes alleged Sean once slapped his mother.

“The allegations stated by Mr. Kirk Burrows [sic] that my son slapped me while we were conversing after the tragic City College events on December 28, 1991, are inaccurate and patently false,” she continued in her statement. “That was a very sad day for all of us.  For him to use this tragedy and incorporate fake narratives to further his prior failed and current attempt to gain what was never his, Bad Boy Records is wrong, outrageous and past offensive.” (In the docuseries, Burrowes also claimed Combs charged the Notorious B.I.G.’s funeral back to his estate, while he pretended he was personally paying for it).

In her statement, Combs said Sean was a “dutiful son,” who helped her with her medical care and provided financial support. She closed with the request that “these distortions, falsehoods and misleading statements be publicly retracted.”

In October, Sean Combs was sentenced to four years and two months in prison after being found guilty of transporting his ex-girlfriends and male escorts across state lines for days-long, drug-fueled sex marathons known as “freak-offs.” He is appealing both the conviction and his sentence. As Rolling Stone previously reported, Combs’ camp has also asked President Trump to consider a pardon.