Nationwide — Sean “Diddy” Combs has been ordered to pay NBCUniversal $477,700.50 in legal fees after losing his lawsuit over the Peacock documentary Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy. The ruling comes months after he sued the company for $100 million, claiming the documentary defamed him and made false and damaging claims about his life.
He filed the lawsuit in New York in early 2025 against NBCUniversal and Peacock. He argued that the documentary went beyond discussing the allegations against him and promoted what his lawsuit described as unfounded conspiracy theories. Among the claims he challenged were suggestions that he was connected to multiple deaths.
The lawsuit was dismissed in May, but the legal fight continued over who should pay the costs of defending it. NBCUniversal later asked the court to award nearly $1 million in attorneys’ fees. Judge Phaedra F. Perry-Bond ruled on Tuesday, Oct. 6, that Combs should cover $477,700.50 of those expenses, according to People. The award covers part of the attorneys’ fees NBCUniversal requested while ending another part of the legal dispute.
The judge did not approve the full amount sought by NBCUniversal. Combs spokesperson Juda Engelmayer said the court found that significant portions of the company’s request were excessive and unreasonable. The judge reduced the request by more than $512,000, bringing the final award to less than half of the amount originally sought.
The lawsuit centered on the content of Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy, which featured interviews with people who have accused Combs of sexual misconduct as well as former associates. Singer Al B. Sure! also appeared in the documentary and raised questions about the death of Combs’ former partner, Kim Porter. Combs argued that the documentary presented damaging claims without a proper factual basis.
The legal-fee ruling comes as Combs remains incarcerated at FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey. He is serving a 50-month federal sentence after being convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution following his federal trial in New York. His projected release date was recently moved to March 2028, after previously being set for January of that year.