"We shouldn't focus on the individual; we should focus on the issue" — Charlamagne Tha God blames patriarchy as he weighs in on the Diddy controversy

On May 22, radio host, TV personality, and comedian Charlamagne Tha God appeared on The View as part of his ongoing book tour and commented on the ongoing Sean “Diddy” Combs controversy.

The host, Sunny Hostin, asked Charlamagne Tha God his thoughts about “everything going on with Diddy right now.” In response, he said:

“I think, I think when it comes to that situation, I think we shouldn’t focus on the individual; we should focus on the issue… The issue is domestic violence.”

The Breakfast Club co-host added that a lot of times, society gets “lost” talking about the celebrity involved rather than focussing on the “actual issue,” which in this case is patriarchy-induced domestic abuse.

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Charlamagne Tha God believes men project their “unhealed trauma” on women

Charlamagne Tha God, whose real name is Lenard Larry McKelvey, sat for an interview with The View on Wednesday as part of his promotion for his new book, Get Honest or Die Lying.

When asked about Diddy’s multiple misconduct allegations in the wake of the recent Cassie assault viral video, the radio show host mentioned that focus should be given to the issue of “domestic violence” rather than the individual here.

“I think what happens a lot of time is because it is [a] celebrity, we get lost. We get lost talking about the celebrity and not about the actual issue,” the 45-year-old comedian said.

“The issue is exactly what I said, about men not going to do the proper work on themselves. And they’re dealing with a lot of pain and a lot of hurt and a lot of unhealed trauma. And they’re projecting that pain and that hurt onto other people. The issue is patriarchy, right?,” he added.

The Hell of a Week with Charlamagne Tha God host went on to explain that as long as there is a “system where men feel superior to women” while dealing with their own struggles, challenges, pain, and hurt, they are going to “project that onto our women.”

Charlamagne The God added that while he was talking, there was a woman somewhere out there getting assaulted, but she was not going to get the “news coverage” as she was not in the limelight.

“Nobody’s going to talk about her,” he said while insisting on raising awareness about the impacts of patriarchy, domestic violence, its victims, and survivors.

Elsewhere in the interview, Charlamagne Tha God talked about hip-hop's empowering, healing, and positive influences as a cultural force, as opposed to its destructive side, saying that one should focus on the former.

He also talked about his own growth, overcoming shock jock, mental health journey, and being a tree-hugger.

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What did Diddy say in his apology video?

On May 17, 2024, CNN released a never-seen-before video from March 2016, where Diddy appeared to be assaulting his former girlfriend and singer Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway.

In the wake of this, Diddy issued an apology video on Instagram in which he said he was “truly sorry” and “disgusted” by his behavior, which he deemed “inexcusable.” The Bad Boy mogul also “took full responsibility for my actions” and asked for no forgiveness.

He further clarified that the incident in the viral footage happened during one of the “darkest times” of his life, following which he claimed to have sought “professional help,” therapy, and rehab. He also mentioned how he was “committed” to being a “better man” every day.