A 2016 tweet from the comedian, 66, has been recirculating on X (formerly Twitter) in recent days, in which she referred to Diddy as ‘Cuddle McSnugglestuff.’
The nickname was part of a brief shout-out that DeGeneres’ had tweeted to Combs on his birthday.
‘Happy birthday, P Diddy, Puff Daddy, Sean Combs, or as I call him, Cuddle McSnugglestuff. You don’t need to know why,’ she wrote on November 4, 2016.
Some found it concerning that she was on a ‘nickname basis’ with the music mogul, who is now sitting in an NYC jail on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.
‘Do you know how sick you gotta be to be on a nickname basis with Diddy??!?!?’ one fan wrote in reply to DeGeneres’ tweet on Thursday.
Another remarked: ‘This aged… poorly. Here to comment before the inevitable delete.’
A different X user added: ‘What a strange thing to say’
Fans found the nickname especially creepy because Combs’s ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and numerous other individual have openly accused him of rape and sexual assault.
He is also alleged to have organized wild sex parties dubbed ‘Freak Offs’ at his homes, where ‘coerced’ individuals were allegedly forced to engaged in days-long sexual exhibitions for Combs’ pleasure.
Some speculated that DeGeneres’ tweet would soon be deleted from her X account — which boasts 73.9million followers — in an attempt to distance herself from Combs.
DeGeneres is just one of many A-list stars whose past interactions and/or affiliations with Combs have been looked at in wake of his September 17 indictment.
Days after his arrest, a clip of DeGeneres seemingly alluding to Combs’ penchant for parties during a 2018 interview with the music mogul.
In the February 2018 appearance, DeGeneres, 66, noted that Combs had arrived late to her taping and asked if he would be tardy for a party she was planning.
‘Are you gonna be early for my party?’ said DeGeneres, whose career has been scorched over the past four years following a toxic workplace scandal that eventually saw her long-running show canceled.
Combs responded, ‘Yes I am – no – you know I have to arrive fashionably late,’ to which DeGeneres said, ‘Not too late, though – please.’
Combs asked DeGeneres, ‘What time would you like me there?’ to which she said, ‘I’ll tell you later.’
She added: ‘But not too late – cause, you know, once you get there the party really starts, you know what I’m saying?
‘Yeah … I got you – I promise you I’m not gonna let you down on this big one, for real,’ Combs said. ‘Your feet are gonna have blisters, you’re gonna be dancing so hard.’
DeGeneres – whose awkward November 2019 exchange with Dakota Johnson preceded an onswell of bad publicity during the 2020 pandemic – told Combs, ‘I can’t wait.’
Diddy was indicted in New York on September 17 and charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
He pleaded not guilty to all three charges and was denied bail.
The judge who will preside over his case agreed with prosecutors that he was a serious flight risk and that he posed a danger to others.
In the wake of the indictment, there has been attention on celebrities who had past been pictured attending Combs’ parties, or spoke about them in interviews.
Among the stars who have acknowledged attending the events include Khloe Kardashian and Ashton Kutcher, while other celebrities photographed at his events include Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lopez, Tommy Lee and Russell Simmons (whose own career was halted by allegations of misconduct).
On Thursday, Combs’ attorney stated that the rapper can’t wait to testify in his upcoming sex trafficking trial in order to tell his side of the ‘story.’
‘I don’t know that I could keep him off the stand. I think he is very eager to tell his story. And I think he will tell every part of his story,’ his attorney Marc Agnifilo told TMZ.
