Howard University announced Friday that it would revoke the honorary degree it awarded to hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs in 2014. The decision comes after Combs admitted to physically abusing a former partner and a wave of other abuse allegations have surfaced in recent months.
At the end of the Howard University Board of Trustees meeting, the board unanimously voted to “accept the return of Sean Combs' honorary degree,” according to a university release. Howard also said it would strip Combs of all honors and privileges associated with the degree.
Combs, 54, who is also known as “Puff” and “Diddy,” attended the university from 1987 to 1989 but dropped out before graduating. In 2016, he donated $1 million to establish the Sean Combs Scholarship Fund, which provides financial assistance to students in need.
Last month, video footage was released showing Combs punching, kicking and dragging his ex-girlfriend, Cassandra Ventura (known as “Cathy”), in 2016.
“Mr. Combs' behavior, as captured on the recently released video, is fundamentally incompatible with the core values ​​and beliefs of Howard University, and he is no longer deemed worthy of receiving the university's highest honor,” the statement said.
Howard University did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment.
In November 2023, Ventura accused Combs of rape and physical abuse, and the lawsuit was settled the next day. Then, in May, CNN released surveillance camera footage obtained from a Los Angeles hotel, which showed Combs assaulting Ventura near the building's elevator.
Combs later posted an apology video to Instagram with the caption, “I am truly sorry.”
“I hit rock bottom and make no excuses,” he said in the apology video. “My behavior in that video is inexcusable and I take full responsibility for my actions in that video.”
Howard University was founded in 1867 to educate freed slaves and is now a historically black college. Notable alumni include politicians, actors and authors, such as Vice President Kamala Harris and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison. Last year, the university awarded honorary degrees to Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina and Prime Minister Keith Christopher Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago.
The revocation of his honorary degree comes as Bad Boy Records founder Combs continues to have legal troubles. In March, federal agents searched his Los Angeles and Miami-area homes in what authorities say is partly related to a human trafficking investigation. No charges have been filed in that case.
The search came after four women, including Ventura, accused Combs of rape and sexual assault, and one man accused him of unwanted sexual contact. Combs' lawyers have filed a motion to dismiss the sexual assault lawsuit.
This month, amid mounting legal troubles, Mr. Combs sold a majority stake in his media company Revolt. He previously sold half his stake in the DeLeon liquor brand for about $200 million after its parent company said it had damaged his reputation. And a New York charter school network that Mr. Combs helped expand cut ties with him.
Howard University announced that it would strip Combs of his honorary degree, return $1 million in donations, and end a scholarship endowed in his name.