Outside the federal courthouse where Sean “Diddy” Combs is on trial, individuals wearing “Free Puff” shirts have been observed. However, some folks on social media claim this group of “supporters” may be part of a coordinated effort, and just may be part of a whole scam.
The first person we saw donning a “Free Puff” shirt was Charlie Liucci, who was caught on camera walking with one of Combs’ sons to the courthouse. However, that one man band has spawned into a group of people wearing pro-Diddy gear.
Podcaster Emilie Hagan took to the sidewalks surrounding the federal court to ask folks why they were so open about their support of the disgraced rap mogul. In one TikTok video, a woman claims she was offered $20 an hour to stand outside for a bit and wear a “Free Diddy” shirt.
“He told me it’s for a ‘Diddy coin,’ so I’m not really sure what that is. They just tried to pay me $20 to wear a ‘Free Puffy’ shirt. The lady right there just kept convincing me to wear the shirt, and I’m like, ‘I’m good,’ ” the woman said in the video.
Combs’ rival, 50 Cent, even poked fun at the alleged paid protest, taking to social media to joke about making himself $20 to wear a “Free Puff” shirt.
In what looks like an A.I.-produced picture, the “Many Men” artist wore the shirt with a straight face with the caption: “He only made Cassie’s mom take out a home equity loan to pay 20k for him to not put out sex tapes. Free itty bitty Diddy! LOL 😆 wait is that legal.”
However, it’s unclear if Combs is even behind the whole operation. What we do know is that $DIDDY coin does actually exist and is based on a Solana blockchain meme coin. After Combs’ official X account promoted the coin, it skyrocketed to $181 million before crashing down to $37 million. The only person pushing the coin besides his sons, Justin and Christian, is Kanye West. The other disgraced rapper, who now goes by “Ye,” support only lasted a little bit before the coin’s value plummeted again.
Combs’ attorneys have not spoken on the matter nor how it may relate to gathering support for the rapper upon his ongoing trial. The Bad Boy Records CEO is facing charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and engaging in interstate transportation for prostitution against two anonymous victims as well as ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura. He has pleaded not guilty, and was denied bail.