Misa Hylton, the mother of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ son Justin Combs, says her ‘heart goes out’ to Cassie Ventura in wake of the release of surveillance video footage showing Combs physically assaulting Ventura in 2016.
“I am heartbroken that Cassie must relive the horror of her abuse, and my heart goes out to her,” she wrote on Instagram. “I know exactly how she feels, and through my empathy, it has triggered my own trauma.”
Hylton dated Combs in the early 1990s. Justin Combs is their only child.
In her post, Hylton made reference to her son and Combs’ other children, writing, “These young people were raised by women that want the best for them – we put God and education first and have always been united in our mutual effort to support their dreams.”
Making an apparent reference to Combs’ children with the late Kim Porter, Hylton added, “Two of the youngest do not have their mother here and it has been our duty to support them. Their father needs help and I am praying that he truly does the personal work and receives it.”
On Friday, CNN released exclusive footage of the attack, first referenced in a November 2023 lawsuit that Ventura brought against the rap mogul, whom she dated off and on from 2007 to 2018.
In her complaint that was settled within a day of its filing, Ventura alleged Combs raped her in 2018 and subjected her to years of repeated physical and other abuses over the course of their relationship.
Combs apologized on Sunday for his actions in the video.
An attorney for Ventura criticized his response.
“When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday,” attorney Meredith Firetog said in a statement. “That he was only compelled to ‘apologize’ once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation, and no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words.”