This story discusses allegations of sexual assault and abuse. If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673.
(NewsNation) — Vlad Lyubovny, commonly known as DJ Vlad, said the video of Sean “Diddy” Combs assaulting his ex-girlfriend is “horrific.”
The video aired Friday shows Combs, wearing only a white towel, punching and kicking Cassie, an R&B singer who was his protege and longtime girlfriend at the time. The footage also shows Combs shoving and dragging Cassie, and throwing a vase in her direction.
Diddy took to social media to apologize for his “inexcusable actions” after the video was released, but some are doubting his sincerity.
“She was trying to get away, and he is the 100% aggressor,” DJ Vlad told NewsNation host Ashleigh Banfield.
DJ Vlad built a media empire by interviewing major hip hop stars including “Diddy” and his former bodyguard Gene Deal. He’s best known for his YouTube channel, djvlad, which has more than 5 million subscribers.
DJ Vlad, a guest of “Banfield” on Tuesday night, discussed whether he thinks Diddy will be “canceled.”
Diddy may remain in the spotlight if “he continues to put out things that people like,” DJ Vlad said. “If you really want to cancel someone, there’s only three ways to do it: You have to kill them, you have to put them in prison for a long period of time, or you have to convince them to stop creating new content.”
Cassie, whose legal name is Cassandra Ventura, sued Combs in November over what she said were years of sexual, physical and emotional abuse. The suit was settled the next day, but spurred intense scrutiny of Combs, with several more lawsuits filed in the following months, along with a federal criminal sex-trafficking investigation that led authorities to raid Combs’ mansions in Los Angeles and Miami.
He denied the allegations in the lawsuits, but neither he nor his representatives had responded to the newly emerged video until Sunday.
“It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that,” Diddy says on the video. Diddy said in his apology video that, “I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
