"We had an ongoing joke about adopting him": Russell Brand alleges Diddy was exploiting Justin Bieber when he met him at the Grammys

Russell Brand recently created headlines after he claimed that Diddy allegedly might have exploited Justin Bieber on one particular occasion. Notably, Sean “Diddy” Combs is currently at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after being arrested on charges of s*x trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution last year.

Russell made the latest claims in a video shared through his official account on X (formerly Twitter) on April 5, 2025. The caption of the post reads:

“I met Justin Bieber at the Grammys when I was with Katy Perry, and we had an ongoing joke about adopting him and all his subsidiary rights. Only now do I realize that Diddy may have been exploiting him, and that changes how I feel about that joke.”

Brand said that he even posted about the adoption joke on social media and alleged that Sean was exploiting Bieber in a “tangible way.” Russell added that the post was the best way to use Justin’s popularity in some way since he was a celebrity who was known to everyone and also a “social media phenomenon” at the same time.

At the beginning of the video, Brand also displayed a clip of Justin Bieber, which was recorded during a live-streaming session on social media. The actor referred to Justin’s clip by alleging that the latter was possibly suffering from some “pharmacological phenomena” and added:

“Yeah, I’d say Justin Bieber might be on drugs based on his relationship with that cockpit.”

While Russell’s video is trending on different platforms, Diddy and Justin Bieber have not shared any response to the same so far.

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Cassie Ventura to appear at Diddy’s trial in the upcoming month

Sean’s trial is scheduled on May 5, 2025, and the rapper’s ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, will also testify against him by not keeping her identity secret anymore, as stated by The Hollywood Reporter on Monday, April 7.

Diddy and Cassie’s problems date back to November 2023 when the latter sued Sean, accusing Combs of trying to have control over her life. According to People magazine, the legal documents alleged that Sean displayed aggressive behavior on certain occasions and also gave drugs to Cassie at the same time.

The duo’s legal problem was settled the same month after they opted to resolve the issue "amicably," as revealed by Diddy in a statement obtained by People magazine.

However, Sean and Ventura’s relationship came into the limelight in May 2024 when CNN acquired video footage reportedly recorded at the Los Angeles-based InterContinental Hotel. The clip featured Combs allegedly hitting Cassie a few times, leading to a lineup of reactions from different personalities.

Speaking of Cassie testifying in the upcoming trial, the prosecutors told The Hollywood Reporter that the remaining three victims have requested to keep their identities hidden. They mentioned that the case is expected to get a lot of attention from the media after the trial starts, and continued:

“Permitting these measures will prevent unnecessary public disclosure of the victims’ identities, and the harassment from the media and others, undue embarrassment, and other adverse consequences that would almost certainly follow if these women were forced to reveal their true names publicly at trial.”

As per a report by the Associated Press on April 5, 2025, two more charges against Diddy have been added under s*x trafficking allegations. According to NBC News, additional charges of forced labor included in a superseding indictment on March 6, 2025, have also been imposed against Sean.