Aubrey O’Day Says Diddy’s Sentence Should Be a ‘Real Warning’ to Young Artists

Aubrey O’Day has spoken out frequently throughout Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial and sentencing, and she’s now offering a warning to up-and-coming artists. A judge sentenced Combs to 50 months in prison. O’Day doesn’t believe that this is enough, and encouraged other artists to view Combs’ trial and sentence with concern. 

Aubrey O’Day said Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sentencing should concern people

On Friday, Oct. 3, Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced Combs to 50 months in prison. O’Day put out a statement in response to the ruling.

“Let this serve as a cautionary reminder to young and aspiring individuals pursuing their dreams,” she wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “The true warning is not that a jury may doubt your testimony, nor that a court’s sentencing guidelines may fail to reflect the years of suffering you endured.”

She told young artists to immediately distance themselves from anyone who abuses power.

“The real warning is this: the moment someone in a position of power oversteps your boundaries or demands more than is legitimately required of you, walk away and do not look back,” she wrote. “No dream, however bright, can outweigh the pain and exploitation that may follow if you remain. Too often, those who misuse their power, even when exposed, face far fewer consequences than the harm inflicted upon their victims.”

She encouraged people to trust their instincts and remove themselves from any situations that seem troubling.

“Your well-being is worth more than any opportunity,” she concluded.

Aubrey O’Day said she hated working with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

O’Day met Combs when she was on the show Making the Band. While she felt he did a lot for her career, she accused him of mistreatment.

“You know, I have such a love-hate with it all because I don’t think I would have been able to be so successful in so many other areas had, I not been trained under Diddy,” she said on Call Her Daddy. “He was the hardest person that you can work for, and it was torture. And not the work part of it, but the other stuff — mind games. There was a lot of betrayal, there was a lot of lies.”

She added that he frequently made comments about her appearance that seemed designed to tear her down. She didn’t know how to defend herself against this.

“Diddy would be like, ‘You’re not hot anymore. Like, what happened? You don’t have any curves. I can’t get people to think you’re my good-looking person,’” she said. “And there was no #MeToo at that time. There was no protecting anyone at that time. You signed a million NDAs and a million contracts that took away your rights.”

She said people reached out to her with concern after the verdict

O’Day’s vocal criticism of Combs put her in contact with his victims. After the jury acquitted him on three of the five charges against him, O’Day said other accusers contacted her.

“Do you know how many victims called me today, Elizabeth, and said, ‘I’m scared. I’m trying to get somewhere right now,’” O’Day said on Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes Present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial. “I wasn’t feeling scared to go home, but they were like, ‘I got a call from somebody up high in the industry, and he was like, I wouldn’t post in real time where you are for awhile. Don’t post your home. Don’t post where you’re actually at — post it, like, two or three days later.’ That’s the kind of conversations people are having right now.”

She initially hoped he would get closer to 20 years in prison.