‘Making the Band’ star Sara Rivers sues Diddy for $60M, accusing him of “inhumane” treatment, s*xual harassment, and more

Sara Rivers, a former member of Da Band and contestant on Sean "Diddy" Combs' MTV show Making the Band, is suing the music mogul. As reported by People on February 28, the former singer filed a $60 million lawsuit against Diddy on Friday, accusing him of multiple offenses.

As per the media outlet, the 148-page-long lawsuit named Universal Music, MTV, Bad Boy officials, Combs' mother, Janice, and his former assistant, Fonzworth Bentley. Rivers accused Diddy of alleged s*xual harassment, providing an "inhumane" working environment, assault, and battery.

Rivers also claimed Diddy allegedly mocked her bulimia and appearance multiple times. According to People, she alleged in the lawsuit that she was underpaid while working with Diddy. Sara Rivers appeared in three seasons of Making the Band but was paid $5000 per show. She also shared that she received $25,000 for signing a publishing contract.

A representative for Diddy responded to People, denying Sara Rivers' allegations and insisting that Diddy had not committed the crimes he was accused of. They said:

"This is yet another example of false claims being filed against Mr. Combs. No matter how many lawsuits are filed, it won’t change the fact that Mr. Combs has never s*xually assaulted or s*x trafficked anyone—man or woman, adult or minor."

Diddy's representative further suggested that Sara Rivers is an "opportunist" and that she filed the lawsuit at the last minute since New York's Gender-Motivated Violence Act will expire on March 1, 2025.

"We live in a world where anyone can file a lawsuit for any reason. With the deadline for New York’s Gender-Motivated Violence Act expiring tomorrow, it’s clear that opportunists are rushing to file last-minute, meritless claims. Mr. Combs remains confident he will prevail in court."

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Sara Rivers appeared in the documentary Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy

Sara Rivers (Image via Instagram/@realsararivers)

According to US Weekly, in January 2025, Rivers appeared in Peacock's documentary Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy. She shared her experience working with Diddy in it.

She alleged that Diddy would verbally abuse the members of Da Band. Rivers shared one incident in which Diddy allegedly threatened an unnamed band member by saying he would eat their flesh.

"When he got angry with one of my band members, he said, ‘You make me so mad I wanna eat your flesh,’ and then he said to another one of my band members, ‘You’re rolling your eyes. I could go get a crackhead and pay them $20 to smack the sh*t out of you.’ Who says that? That’s crazy," she said.

Rivers also accused Diddy of s*xually harassing her in the documentary. She shared that the weight of the incident has been draining her for years. She said:

"He touched me [in] a place that he shouldn’t have. That was inappropriate. I felt intimidated, I felt like, ‘Oh, my God, what the heck happened just now?’ … I haven’t said anything for so long, and it’s built up — it’s been 20 years of going through my mind like, ‘This has happened, that’s happened, this was stopped.’ Mentally, [it’s] draining."

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According to the Los Angeles Times report, Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy features interviews with Diddy's former bodyguard, his childhood friend, journalists, multiple attorneys, Al B. Sure, and Sara Rivers. The documentary is available for streaming on Peacock.