Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Returns to Instagram to Celebrate Daughter Chance’s 18th Birthday: ‘I’m So Proud of You’

A month after embattled music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs deleted all his Instagram posts, the Bad Boy Records founder was back on the platform on Sunday (July 21) with a post celebrating his daughter Chance’s 18th birthday. “My babygirl turned 18 today,” Combs wrote alongside a photo of his daughter in a striped dress posing at sundown on a beach. “I’m so proud of you Chance. I love you. @myfancychance,” he added along with a string of emoji (heart, prayer hands, shooting star, lightning, star).

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In a second photo Combs is seen taking a nap with his daughter when she was a grade schooler. Chance, born July 20, 2006, to father of seven Diddy and former girlfriend Sarah Chapman is the rapper’s first-born daughter.

The post is the first one on Diddy’s Instagram page since he scrubbed his whole account in June, including a now-deleted apology to ex longtime girlfriend Cassie after the leak of a disturbing video from 2016 in which Combs was seen repeatedly hitting and kicking the singer in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel.

Combs has been laying low since a lawsuit filed by Cassie in November in which the singer claimed that she endured “over a decade of his violent behavior and disturbed demands,” including Diddy allegedly forcing her to “engage in sex acts with male sex workers.” Less than 24 hours after the suit was reported it was withdrawn after the former couple reach an undisclosed settlement.

He was then hit with a series of lawsuits by other women accusing him of drugging, physically abusing and sexually assaulting them, and, on March 25, was the subject of two raids by Dept. of Homeland Security agents on his homes in Los Angeles and Miami reportedly in connection with an ongoing federal sex trafficking investigation; Diddy has vehemently denied all the allegations.

Since Cassie’s suit Diddy’s once-vast business empire has begun to erode, including his decision to step down as chairman of the Revolt digital media company (and later reportedly selling his stake in Revolt TV), nearly two dozen brands breaking ties with Combs’ E-commerce company, Empower Global, and Hulu scrapping a planned Combs family reality show, among other actions.

Among the posts Combs deleted in June was an apology he uploaded in the wake of the hotel assault video’s leak. “It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that,” Diddy said in his apology video. “I was f—ed up. I mean, I hit rock bottom. But I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it, I’m disgusted now.”

At press time, the birthday post was the only one on Combs’ account, which has nearly 20 million followers.

See Diddy’s posts below.

Stories about sexual assault allegations can be traumatizing for survivors of sexual assault. If you or anyone you know needs support, you can reach out to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). The organization provides free, confidential support to sexual assault victims. Call RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE) or visit the anti-sexual violence organization’s website for more information.

Gil Kaufman

Billboard