Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - P. Diddy's Ex-Publicist Tells All on Rapper's Obsession with Royal Family

Episode Date: October 22, 2024

Rob Shuter worked as Sean "Diddy" Combs' publicist from 2002 through 2004. And during that time, Shuter said Combs was obsessed with trying to get Prince William and Prince Harry to attend one of his parties. Law&Crime's Angenette Levy talks with Shuter about his time with Combs and the allegations of sex trafficking being made against him in this episode of Crime Fix — a daily show covering the biggest stories in crime.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW:If you’re ever injured in an accident, you can check out Morgan & Morgan. You can submit a claim in 8 clicks or less without having to leave your couch. To start your claim, visit: https://www.forthepeople.com/CrimeFixHost:Angenette Levy  https://twitter.com/Angenette5Guest:Rob Shuter https://x.com/NaughtyNiceRobCRIME FIX PRODUCTION:Head of Social Media, YouTube - Bobby SzokeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinVideo Editing - Daniel CamachoGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law & Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. I don't think this is about sex. I think this is about power. I think this is always about him being powerful. And often we do find that that is a motivation, not lust so much, but power and control. And I think that's where Diddy came from. Sean Combs likes to party, but there are two guests who never accepted his invitation. Combs' former publicist is here to tell all about Diddy and his fascination with Prince William and Prince Harry. Welcome to Crime Fix. I'm Anjanette Levy. Sean Diddy Combs is obsessed with power, fame, and at one point, apparently, the royal family. Combs invited Prince William

and Prince Harry to more than 10 of his famous parties, even offering to pay for the royals' travel, lodging, and security. Though the princes never accepted an invitation, that didn't discourage Diddy, according to his former publicist, Rob Shooter. He's going to join me very shortly to tell us about Combs' fascination and really his obsession with the royals. Interest in Sean Combs' party guest list and really anyone he's been associated with has grown since his indictment on federal charges last month. Combs is accused of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation for the purpose of prostitution. The U.S. attorney described some of what Combs is accused of doing during a press conference last month. Take a listen.

Combs has been charged with RICO conspiracy. He used his business and employees of that business and other close associates to get his way. Those individuals allegedly included high-ranking supervisors in the business, personal assistants, security staff, and household staff. As alleged, Combs used force, threats of force, and coercion to cause victims to engage in extended sexual performances with male commercial sex workers, some of whom he transported or caused to be transported over state lines. Combs allegedly planned and controlled the sex performances which he called freak-offs and he often electronically recorded them. The freak-offs sometimes lasted days at a

time, involved multiple commercial sex workers, and often involved a variety of narcotics such as ketamine, ecstasy, and GHB, which Combs distributed to the victims to keep them obedient and compliant. And during a recent hearing, one of the federal prosecutors said that more charges could be coming. But Combs maintains he's innocent and plans to testify at his trial. Here's his attorney, Mark Agnifilo. His resolve is the same. He believes he's innocent. I believe he's innocent. And we're going to fight this case with all of our might until we don't have to fight any longer. The fight continues. We're not giving up by a long shot. I told Mr. Combs I'm going to try and get his case to trial as quickly as possible.

I'm going to try and minimize the amount of time he spends in very, very difficult and I believe inhumane housing conditions in the special housing unit of the Metropolitan Detention Facility. And I'm going to do everything that I can to move his case as quickly as possible. Combs is being held in the MDC in Brooklyn and has pleaded not guilty. At this point, his trial is scheduled for May of 2025. But let's get back to Sean Combs and the princes, shall we? From everything we can tell you, the only time Sean Combs came face to face with William and Harry was at a benefit concert in memory of their mother, Princess Diana, in 2007. It was held to raise money for several charities.

Harry wrote about the concert in his memoir, Spare. The prince wrote, the venue had to be big enough, Wembley Stadium, and the tickets had to be priced right, 45 pounds, and the entertainers had to be A-list. Elton John, Duran Duran, P. Diddy. Now, it's fairly telling that that was the only mention of Sean Combs in the book. Prince Harry wrote more about Elton John and his performance. Elton John was, of course, a close friend of Princess Diana. The concert included artists that Diana and her sons both enjoyed. Four years later, in 2011, Combs appeared on the Graham Norton Show on the BBC and talked about wanting the princes to come to his parties. I do worry because I read that on your kind of

that you want to get Prince William and Prince Harry to a diddy party. I don't think, not anymore. I mean, before, you know. Don't ruin our royal wedding for us. Trust me, they're off the list. Every now and then they're off the list. But you know, before, when they were young bucks growing up

and they were getting in a lot of trouble themselves. So, hey, I was like, why don't you come hang out with me? Now I watch that clip and I think to myself, he's joking, but maybe he's not. Yes, Combs wanted them to come to his parties. But now, given some of the allegations, it makes you wonder, what would the princes have encountered at a ditty party?

And maybe it was a good thing that they never accepted the invitation. Combs, of course, maintains nothing illegal happened at his parties, despite his comments years ago that his parties would eventually lead to his arrest. Apparently, Combs stopped inviting the princes to his parties after William became engaged to Kate Middleton. Curiously, record producer Rodney Little Rod Jones mentioned Harry in his $30 million lawsuit filed against Combs, claiming Combs tried to use him to boost his own reputation. Affiliation with and or general business partnerships with Mr. Combs garnered legitimacy, immense success, and access to top and emerging artists, celebrities, famous athletes, political figures, musicians, and international dignitaries like British Royal and Prince Harry. The stories I cover each day here on Crime Fix

show you just how scary the world can be. And one of the scariest things that can happen is if you ever get hurt. But I want you to know if you're ever seriously hurt or in an accident, your case could be worth millions. That's where our sponsor Morgan & Morgan comes in. The firm has an army of more than a thousand lawyers who will fight for you and what you deserve, and they have the track record to prove it. In the past few months, Morgan & Morgan has won big verdicts like $12 million in Florida, $26 million in Philly, and $6.8 million in New York. All were much higher than the highest insurance company offer. Seeing if you have a case can be done in eight clicks or less, and you don't even have to leave your couch to start one. Also, a really great thing.

You only pay Morgan and Morgan if you win. There are no upfront fees. So if you're hurt, you can easily start a claim at ForThePeople.com slash crime fix. There have been questions about why Prince Harry's name was mentioned at all in this lawsuit. Now we're learning more about what makes Sean Combs tick and why he was so interested in

the princes from his former publicist. So let's bring the man in. He's Rob Shooter. He is Sean Combs' former publicist. He's also the host of the Naughty But Nice podcast by iHeartRadio. You can listen to that every day, wherever you get your podcasts. So Rob Rob thank you so much for joining me first of all your reaction to all of this to the sex trafficking charges filed against Sean combs yeah it's been like a tidal wave I'm shocked about it but it's been like a wave of emotions let's remember this has now been going on for several months and so initially I didn't really believe it. I definitely came from that place of being a little surprised, a little shocked, but also too, I was a little bit suspicious. Now, that opinion has changed dramatically over the last couple of months

as more and more accounts have come forward, more and more details details but I came from a place where I just didn't see anything and I was around him a lot and so initially I'm ashamed to admit it but initially I'm not sure I totally believed all this now I do now you believe it you think it's all true yeah I think just the overwhelming amount of accusations, the details. And also, too, I have to remind myself that I worked with Puff in the early 2000s. And I think he was still trying to figure out who he was, who he wanted to be. And as his power grew, I think so did many of the dark aspects of his desires. I bumped into him probably about a decade ago at a party

for the Huffington Post for AOL. And the Puff that I saw that night was a very different Puff to the Puff that I remembered from 20 years ago. So you worked for him from, I think, 2002 to 2004. You call him Puff. You don't even call him Diddy. You call him Puff. That's how long ago this was. Yeah. Yeah. His friends called him Puff. And when I was angry with him, if he had upset me, we called him Sean. That's funny. You remember him as this really nice guy, from what I understand. You had really good dealings with him. Tell me a little bit about that. Yeah, it sounds crazy now, but I represented some really big stars. Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson, Naomi Campbell, Jon Bon Jovi, Alicia Keys, Kate Spade. I had a roster

of some really big stars. And out of that entire group, Diddy was my favorite. He was charming. He was funny. He had a kindness about him. He made everybody feel important. Now, did I see signs when he could be nasty and rude? Of course, we all have those days. But overall, when you work with a big celebrity, they don't really give you that much attention or that much time did he was the opposite he wanted to know how my family was doing how my life was going if i was happy i remember one incident i'd worked one of his parties and about two o'clock in the morning he gave me his driver to make sure i got home safe and so this is what is so alarming about this but now doing a little bit of research i found out that a lot of these monsters were terribly charismatic that is that is something um that i hear a lot you know people can have these two sides that you know a jackal hide type thing uh let's talk a little bit about this obsession that you told the bbc about that sean combs had with prince harry and prince william and the fact that he really wanted them to come to his parties and i mean sean combs back when you worked for him

2002 to 2004 this is when he's up and coming he's trying to build his image hey i'm i'm a party guy i'm surrounded by a-listers. I am the guy. And getting those two guys to come to one of his parties, they're royalty. That would have been quite the coup. So why, though, was he so obsessed with getting them to come to his parties? And why did he have such a fascination with the royal family? Because a lot of people, their minds might go to a place where he's they're thinking uh-oh what was this an attraction thing was he attracted to them physically or was it more just the fact of the image of being associated with royalty in your view yeah to put this into a larger context diddy was a ringmaster he was our generation's barnum he knew how to put on a show

he knew how to get attention. Someone like Donald Trump is someone that he deeply admired, somebody that was always in the press. And so when I was working with Didi, anybody that was on the cover of The New York Post, anybody that was the hottest celebrity of the moment, he wanted to be associated with. I remember he had this passion for Ashton Kutcher, who had just done Punk'd. And Punk'd was the hottest show on TV. It was on MTV. Everybody was talking about it. It was the it moment. Paris Hilton, another person that I represented later on. But Paris Hilton, she was popping in page six and you couldn't open up a newspaper without seeing her photograph. So Diddy always wanted to be with the coolest people,

with the people that were in the moment, the people that were the it boy or girl of that second. And I think we can all agree that maybe nobody, nobody in celebrity culture can add up to the power of actual royals. And so Harry and William were two people that he desperately wanted to be associated with. He tried to reach out to them several times. I know he got me to reach out to the palace a few times. He always wanted to invite them to his parties. And I've got to admit here, like a lot of New Yorkers, when you don't succeed or when you're told no, you just wanted even more. And so the fact that Didi couldn't get to them, he couldn't get them to come to his parties. It made him want them even more. However, where the attraction gets a little bit creepy is I remember going to his

apartment on Park Avenue and there were lots of photographs of him and celebrities some family members too and there was also a photograph of william and harry's a framed photograph in his apartment and i thought that was that was a little odd yeah that is a little odd especially if he's not in the photo this is not a photo of him with them right do you love it do you think he had some attraction to them i mean there's been talk about sean combs possibly you know being gay or bisexual do you think there was a physical attraction there maybe but my dealings with puffy and people that i've spoken to since we mix still in the same world, the world of celebrity. I'm still in the game with my podcast.

And so the people I know around Puffy confirm what I've always believed, which is he is very transactional. What you can do for him is his attraction to you. And so I never saw Puffy lust after somebody. A sign of celebrities, whether they're gay or straight, is when you go and have dinner with them and you sit at Nobu or some fancy restaurants and a hot waiter or waitress comes over and they always have a look. They're regular people like we are and they are sexually attractive. I never got that vibe from Puffy. He was not interested in waiters or waitresses, even if they were beautiful. He was interested in who was the most powerful person in the room, who was in the room that could help his career. So it was very transactional. Now, reading some of these complaints, some of these lawsuits, that actually fits together quite well in my mind. I don't think this was about sex. I think this was about power. I think this was always about him being powerful. And often we do find that that is a motivation, not lust so much, but power and control.

And I think that's where Diddy came from. So he had his eye on the prize. This was, it was almost like a conquest. And if I can get these guys to my party i'm surrounded by royalty and that's that's pretty cool and it would make a good picture in the press oh absolutely he he considered himself a king his son is called king combs puffy thought of himself as royalty so what what better look for diddy than have two actual princes? There are a lot of famous people in America, particularly in New York and L.A. He had access to most of them, but I don't know a single prince in New York or L.A.

I don't know royalty who live here. That has always been the attraction to these family members, whether or not it be Jeffrey Epstein or Diddy. Being around a royal is really special. You know, you said he thinks of himself or thought of himself as a king. I mean, that seems like so kind of narcissistic. You have to be a little bit of a narcissist to be a celebrity, I'm sure. But it almost just seems, you know, kings are monarchs. They rule with absolute power. So it's a little scary given the allegations here, the allegations that he's pleaded not guilty to. I have to be clear about that.

But it's a little scary. And especially when you combine that with the Cassie video that we've seen in the hotel room or the hotel hallway. I don't know you you talk about how some of these people can be very charming but also be a monster it's it's heartbreaking and and i think the fact he was so charming allowed him to potentially get away with this for for as long as he did let me say and i think it's such an insight into diddy i worked with a lot of celebrities they all had big eos they all think very highly of themselves. The one thing that Diddy had though that nobody else had was he loved being a star more than anybody else I've ever met. I used to joke,

and I'd even joke with him, Diddy's hobby was Diddy. All he did was Diddy. The reason he was so successful at being Diddy is it was a 24-hour job. Other celebrities, even big stars, Jennifer Lopez, she has her children, she has a family, she has hobbies, she has friends. Diddy had none of that. It was always about the brand of Diddy. From the moment he woke up in the morning and opened his eyes, he was thinking about Diddy. Just before he would go to bed at night, he would text me something about Diddy. All day long, he had created this world that he desperately, desperately wanted. He had created it and he wasn't gonna let go of it wow you know it's interesting you say that because he said that in a documentary one time like he said he didn't really have friends and um you know he just works that's all he that's

all he does um you know do you see this ending just very badly for him you know like do you see this ending just very badly for him? You know, like, do you see this just him in prison? Absolutely. I think about him in prison. He's a survivor. He's a tough guy. He really is a tough guy. And often I find narcissists don't kill themselves. So a lot of people have asked, is Diddy going to commit suicide? Are we going to get a Jeffrey Epstein here? I don't think we are.

I think he's going to fight this. And if I can be so bold, and this is going to get a Jeffrey Epstein here? I don't think we are. I think he's going to fight this. And if I can be so bold, and this is going to sound shocking, but there's a lot of truth to this. There is a part of Diddy, the Diddy that I know, that at this moment is really enjoying this, a sick part. He is now the Diddy he always wanted to be. He's arguably one of the most famous people in the world. He's on the cover of the newspapers everything he wanted whether it be by changing his name or having a glamorous girlfriend now he's got for a perverse reason but nevertheless the outcome's the same now he's got what he always wanted which is everybody is talking about Wow. When you were with him back then, did you ever see any of the sex parties or any of this stuff? Or do you think that was kind of too early on in all of this?

A combination of both. I think it was too early on. And I think also, too, he was a master of keeping people compartmentalized. And I was not part of that sexual life. So I saw absolutely nothing. In fact, I saw the opposite. I always thought he was asexual. I never saw him look up when a beautiful person walked into a restaurant or if a beautiful person walked into the office. I never saw him. And I was at casting shoots with him for Sean John when he was hiring models. Normally when

the model leaves the room in shoots that I've been at, the people at the table do say, oh my goodness, he's gorgeous, or she's beautiful. Not did he. He was like a machine. He was sort of asexual. The thought of him wanting to have a wild night of sex or to be at a business meeting making deals getting publicity i think he would always have picked the publicity part now i it looks like i'm wrong or at least partially wrong because clearly he had both worlds going on but his discipline is something we have to really understand after those big parties that i i threw many of them or at least ran the press for those parties. He would leave in the wee hours of the morning, but I guarantee you at 7am the next day, he'd text me. What's going on with the press? What's the story we're going to leak to page six? What's the story we're going to get

on entertainment tonight? What's going to be the coverage on Good Morning America? He wanted to know that stuff and not at noon or one o'clock in the afternoon after he had slept off a major hangover at 6.30, seven o'clock every morning for years, I got a text from Didden. Very interesting. Rob Shooter, thank you so much for coming on. I hope you'll come back. Absolutely. I'm a fan of the show. So thank you for inviting me. And that's it for this episode of Crime Fix. I'm Ann Jeanette Levy. Thanks so much for being with me. I'll see you back here next time.