Former Danity Kane member D. Woods has spoken publicly about her experiences with Sean "Diddy" Combs for the first time since his September 2024 arrest for alleged s*x crimes. On January 27, 2025, she gave an interview to ABC News' Eva Pilgrim on Good Morning America, detailing the environment within the girl group Combs formed on MTV's Making the Band 3 in 2005.
During the interview, the 41-year-old singer, whose real name is Wanita Denise Woodgett, described her time under Combs' management, stating she experienced a verbally abusive work environment and was often treated in a degrading manner.
"Somebody constantly treating you like a piece of meat, only seeing, only valuing you for your s*x appeal," she said. "In some of the environments, it was even scary to be by yourself."
Woods also appears in the Investigation Discovery docuseries The Fall of Diddy, which premiered on January 27, 2025. In the series, she alleged that Combs' management style included manipulation, with cycles of criticism and praise used to control the group members.
Diddy's representative denies allegations following documentary accusations
When asked why she chose to speak out at this time, Woods explained that the timing was not about personal choice but rather about feeling that her voice would finally be heard.
"It's more of a question of why I have not been able to speak up in the past, and I would say that this moment now is a time where I feel like my experience, my truth will really be heard and actually considered and believed," she told ABC News. "Not talking hasn't changed anything either."
Woods acknowledged that Diddy had been seen as a major figure in the industry. In a statement reported by The Blast on January 27, 2025, Diddy's legal representatives released a statement denying the claims made in the documentary. The statement read,
"As we've said before, Mr. Combs cannot respond to every publicity stunt or facially ridiculous claim. He has full confidence in the facts and the judicial process, where the truth will prevail: the accusations against him are pure fiction."
According to People, Diddy, 55, was arrested in September 2024 on federal charges including s*x trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He is currently being held at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center while awaiting trial, which is scheduled to begin in May 2025. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Danity Kane, the girl group formed in 2005 on Making the Band 3, originally consisted of Woods, Aubrey O'Day, Shannon Bex, Dawn Richard, and Aundrea Fimbres. The group signed with Combs' Bad Boy Records and achieved success with hits like Show Stopper and Damaged. However, in 2008, Combs removed Woods and O'Day from the group, citing internal conflicts.
As stated by People on September 11, 2024, former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard, 41, filed a lawsuit in New York federal court, alleging that Combs had s*xually and verbally abused her over nearly a decade. Court documents obtained by People indicate that Richard is seeking $3.5 million in unpaid salaries and royalties.
Diddy's attorney, Erica Wolff, responded at the time, calling the lawsuit an attempt to "rewrite history" and alleging that Richard had continued working with Combs voluntarily for years after the initial incidents, as reported by TMZ on September 20, 2024.
Aubrey O'Day, another former Danity Kane member, has also spoken out against Combs over the years.
The Fall of Diddy documentary, which premiered on Investigation Discovery on January 27, 2025, features testimonies from Woods and others, shedding further light on the allegations against Diddy. The documentary is currently available for streaming on Max.