Jonathan Hay fired back at Dave Chappelle after the comedian defended Sean “Diddy” Combs in his Netflix special The Unstoppable. Hay accused Chappelle of turning documented assault into comedy material while defending his alleged attacker.
“His latest Netflix special, The Unstoppable, left me deeply unsettled with its repeated expressions of support for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs,” Hay said in a statement to Deadline.
Chappelle defended Diddy in the December 19 Netflix special by comparing his Mann Act conviction to boxer Jack Johnson’s racially motivated persecution.
The comedian said Combs “saved my life” when an attacker stormed his Hollywood Bowl performance in 2022.
Chappelle told his audience that he visited Diddy’s home after the incident at the Hollywood Bowl. He joked about missing his “big chance” when Diddy asked what he was “into.”
“You know me, I was like, ‘I don’t know… books, video games.’ I didn’t know that was my big chance to f*ck Cassie,” Chappelle said during the special.
Hay filed sexual battery claims against Diddy in 2020 and 2021. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department opened an investigation into the allegations last month.
He claimed that in 2021, Diddy forced him to perform oral sex while Notorious B.I.G.’s son, CJ Wallace, was present. Hay claimed Diddy had an orgasm on a shirt Biggie once owned, tossed it on Hay and said, “Rest in peace BIG.”
Diddy’s legal team denied all accusations, calling them “false and defamatory.” Hay called Chappelle “my favorite comedian of all time,” but said the jokes reopened wounds for survivors.
“Chappelle attempts to downplay the horrific situation involving Cassie Ventura, turning her documented physical assault into fodder for jokes, while casually admitting he once ‘missed his chance’ to have sex with her,” Hay said.
“As someone who has personally endured sexual assault at the hands of Combs, these moments aren’t abstract punchlines, they’re relentless triggers that reopen wounds for survivors like me,” Hay said.
CJ Wallace, son of The Notorious B.I.G., filed a defamation lawsuit against Hay after being accused of participating in the alleged assaults.
Wallace’s attorney called Hay’s claims “absurd and baseless.”
Diddy was convicted of transportation to engage in prostitution charges in July. He’s serving four years in a New Jersey facility and won’t be free until mid-2028.
The Unstoppable currently holds the number one spot on Netflix’s TV shows.