Diddy's A-list “White Parties” featured naked women

• Sean “Diddy” Combs’ “white parties” were known for their extravagance and celebrity presence.
• Naked women were also regularly seen at the famous parties of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
• “There are always sexy girls when rich people are around,” a prominent photographer told BI.

Endless champagne, celebrities galore and naked women in the expansive pool.

This was a common sight at Sean “Diddy” Combs' famous annual “White Parties” in the late 1990s and early 2000s, said a veteran celebrity photographer who attended at least five of the now-indicted hip-hop mogul's parties .

“His parties were always over the top – the best food, the best drinks,” Selma Fonseca, who made a career out of photographing and writing about the rich and famous, told Business Insider.

It's not unusual to find naked women at Combs' soirées, the photojournalist said.

At the time, however, Fonseca says it was pretty typical of elite affairs, especially in posh places like the Hamptons, where the “I'll Be Missing You” rapper held many of his white parties in the summer.

“It's summer and people are at the white party with Diddy, and I guess they're getting naked in the pool,” Fonseca said.

“They were beautiful,” she said, “but I’m not sure if they were paid to entertain people or if they were guests.”

Combs' lavish parties, most of which took place at the East Hampton, New York, mansion he owned at the time or in Beverly Hills, are now being viewed in a new light after the entrepreneur was indicted on federal charges by a Manhattan grand jury last month was accused of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation for the purpose of prostitution.

Combs, 54, has vehemently denied the allegations, as well as any allegations of sexual misconduct made against him in civil lawsuits.

At least three civil lawsuits against Combs focus on the rapper's white parties. In one case, Adria English, a former adult film actress, claims she was forced to have sex with guests at the white parties, while another claims a then-16-year-old boy was molested by Combs at his white party in 1998. In another lawsuit, a man claims he was drugged and sexually abused by Combs while working as a security guard at the music mogul's White Party in 2006.

Fonseca, who said she attended and photographed up to 30 events where Combs was also present, cannot say what might have happened behind closed doors on the party nights, but said that naked women appeared at high-end events are the order of the day. Profile events throughout her two-decade career.

The nudity alone wasn't a cause for concern at the time, she said, adding that it was a common spot when she photographed high-end parties in the Hamptons.

“Especially back when there was no social media,” she said. “It’s not like people take photos and post them on Instagram.”

David Allen, another celebrity photographer who attended Combs' white party in the Hamptons in 1999, told BI he remembered seeing topless women “in and around” Combs' in-ground pool.

“But to me it wasn’t a big deal,” Allen said.

Combs' lawyers did not respond to a request for comment for this story, but a spokesman for Combs previously called the white parties “a true convergence of hip-hop, Hollywood and black excellence.”

“It is disappointing to see the media and social commentators transform these cultural moments into something they were not,” the spokesman said.

In response to the recent spate of lawsuits against Combs, his lawyers said in a statement: “The truth will prevail in court: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted anyone – adult or minor, man or woman.”

At a white party, women swung around in bikinis

Combs' white parties had a reputation for being ultra-extravagant events that attracted high-profile celebrities from the worlds of music, film and sports.

Federal prosecutors have alleged that Combs hosted a much more nefarious type of party behind the scenes – drug-fueled sex sessions called “freak-offs” in which Combs “used violence, threats of violence and coercion” to get female victims to engage in sexual acts to involve male sex workers.

The indictment states that these freak-offs were “elaborate and manufactured sexual performances that Combs arranged, staged, during which he masturbated, and were often electronically recorded.”

Prosecutors allege that for decades Combs “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his behavior.”

Aside from naked women, Fonseca told BI that she never saw anything that raised alarm at Combs' parties she attended.

Business Insider has seen dozens of photos and videos Fonseca took at white parties.

“I've never seen people have sex, like intercourse, but people do make out,” she said. “They make out on the couch and maybe touch each other a little.”

At Combs' white party in Beverly Hills in 2009, Fonseca recalled women in bikinis on swings suspended over a huge pool. At some point, Ashton Kutcher swung over the pool wearing white sunglasses.

Combs “had girls in the swings, in swimsuits swinging back and forth, and just people letting sexy girls swim,” Fonseca said, adding: “There are always sexy girls when rich people and celebrities are there. That's just the way it is.”

Combs was always dancing, drinking and posing for photos, says Photog

Fonseca, who has authored two photography books including “Partying With Selma: Inside the Life of Rock Stars,” said she never went indoors at any of Combs' parties.

“There were bodyguards at the door to get into the house, so you had to be invited or a celebrity, I guess,” Fonseca said, adding that Combs' Hamptons home was full of large windows “so everyone could see.” what was there.” what was happening in the living room from the outside.”

She described the events as “well-organized,” with Combs' expansive backyard transformed into something like a giant living room filled with couches and pillows.

There was exceptional service, a wide variety of foods including salmon, steak and corn, fire-breathing entertainers and “celebs everywhere,” the photographer said.

Fonseca recalled seeing stars like Busta Rhymes, Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Simmons, Tyson Beckford, Tommy Lee, Mariah Carey, Lindsay Lohan, Lil' Kim, Mary J. Blige, Russell Brand and Chris Brown at Combs' extravaganzas over the years to have.

“I think that’s why his parties were so popular, besides the food and drink and everything,” Fonseca said. “If you want to meet someone or do business with someone, this was one way to meet the celebrities.”

The celebrities have been photographed at Combs' white parties over the years, but have not been accused of any wrongdoing.

A representative for Beckford confirmed that he attended a white party but was “outdoors where the celebrations were taking place.” Representatives for the other celebrities seen by Fonseca did not immediately respond to BI's requests for comment.

Fonseca, who took a photo of Combs and Jennifer Lopez kissing on the balcony at the 1999 party at the beginning of their then-relationship, said she remembers Combs “always running around, dancing, drinking champagne “, talking to people, posing for photos,…” is always fun.”

Allen said Combs was a “normal, normal gentleman.”

“What I saw was a normal white-themed party with people everywhere doing their own thing,” he said. “Some smoked weed and kept it half-hidden. Others were around and in the pool being served champagne, some topless.”

At a white party, Combs warned guests from his balcony that children needed to leave the event.

“I think I made my point clear. So if child welfare comes here in 30 minutes, it’s your fault,” he said into a microphone, according to a video viewed by BI. “My children are downstairs. Fifteen minutes, the kids have to go, thank you very much.”

Fonseca said it was common knowledge to those in attendance that children would leave the party as soon as it got dark, making it “more like an adult party.”

In a now-resurfaced appearance on Conan O'Brien's late-night show in 2002, Combs gave tips on what makes a good party and said locks on the doors were a must.

“That's what you have to do,” Combs told O'Brien, before saying a party needs “beautiful women” and “beautiful men for the ladies.”

“We need alcohol,” Combs added. “You need some water.”

“Many ladies drink water at parties. So if you don't have what they need, they leave. We have to keep them there. They need locks on the doors,” Combs said, adding, “It’s a little perverse.