Was the Diddy Documentary Just a Chance for 50 Cent to be Petty Again? — A Review on ‘Sean Combs: The Reckoning.’

If a documentary about me was executive produced by my rival, I would expect for it to be rushed, frivolous and exaggerated.

Netflix Poster for Sean Combs: The Reckoning

Sean Combs: The Reckoning is a four-episode Netflix documentary directed by Alexandria Stapleton and premiered on December 2nd 2025. With multiple cases against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, both finalised and pending, the documentary is especially relevant now. The executive producer being Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson who, over the years, has been vocal about his dislike towards Diddy — has made the docuseries highly anticipated. However, some viewers may have been skeptical about how accurate it would be.

Throughout the episodes, the documentary follows Diddy from his early days to his 50 month sentence in October 2025. It explores his character and how he became a powerful figure in the music industry, using stories from people previously associated with him. Their link to Diddy paired with the fact some of their stories were almost parallel, made their accounts trustworthy.

The documentary also looked at controversial rumours that we may not have had much detail about prior. For example, the rivalry between Bad Boy Records and Death Row Records, and how it allegedly impacted the death of rappers Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. I can say for myself, before the documentary, I had a surface level understanding of Diddy and the stories involving him. But, with the use of relevant interviewees providing context, I had an in-depth understanding, which at times left me speechless.

Although the docuseries centres on Diddy, it investigated wider themes such as power and corruption within the music industry. For example, former employees and artists of Bad Boy Records spoke about how they had apparently been cheated out of money, and some had allegedly experienced sexual misconduct.

Additionally, injustice was an overarching theme. There was a constant reminder of Diddy’s sentence, along with accounts of how he allegedly exploited and abused people in various ways. With this this constant reminder, I found myself always comparing the magnitude of the interviewee’s stories to the 50 months he was sentenced to. The disparity was so upsetting to me even though I knew the trial only addressed the prostitution offences. Moreover, the documentary featured jurors from the trial leading up to his October 2025 sentence, who explained their reasons for their verdict, making viewers question the process of bringing people to justice.

The selection of people chosen to interview were perfect. Viewers were shown a range of people from Diddy’s life, who collectively gave a thorough perspective of him. For example, former employees, victims, his peers and as mentioned previously, jurors. However, a key person I wish was interviewed is Laurieann Gibson, a choreographer who featured on Diddy’s Making the Band from 2005–2009. Gibson had filed a report against Diddy in 2011, alleging he threatened to hit her with a chair during filming.

The added clips and news stories from the events mentioned, further validated the narratives. Some of the clips were so shockingly recent, some viewers believe Diddy recorded them thinking he would win the United States v. Combs case and capitalise from it.

The choice to have four episodes was fitting. The documentary followed different phases of his life and career across decades, which is why it needed to be episodic. Although the revelations in the documentary were so gripping, if it exceeded four episodes it may have felt dragged and start to seem petty.

While it could be argued it’s likely 50 Cent’s choice to executive produce Sean Combs: The Reckoning was fuelled by his opposition to him, the documentary does not reflect this at all. The stories were given enough context and backed with evidence, giving the documentary a factual tone rather than a sensational one.

Overall, I would give the documentary a 4.8/5.