Inside Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Infamous White Parties

The rapper's White Parties gained a legendary reputation in the '90s and '00s...

White Party 2003

by Shereen Low |
Updated on

As he awaits trial for sex trafficking and other charges, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ fall from grace has been dramatic. Once a chart-topping music mogul who worked with the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Usher and Mary J Blige and oversaw a hugely successful empire, he is now behind bars in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, having been denied bail twice.

Combs, 54, was arrested on 16 September and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. Prosecutors alleged that he also engaged in kidnapping, forced labour, bribery and other crimes, which he has pleaded not guilty to. It comes after a string of allegations of gang rape, sexual assault and other accusations over the past 12 months, which Combs has denied.

Sean 'Diddy' Combs
Sean 'Diddy' Combs ©MEGA/GC Images

‘Enough is enough,’ he wrote on his Instagram account in December 2023. ‘For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy. Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.’

It's a far cry from the rapper and producer’s heyday in the ‘90s and 2000s, when Combs was the man to be seen with. His annual white parties, with their star-studded guest lists and extravagance, became legendary amongst Hollywood circles over two decades. Anyone who was anyone would be invited – you knew that you had made it if you secured one of those coveted 1,000 invites, which would be your golden ticket into these elite circles.

Here’s what we know about the infamous white parties…

Sean 'Diddy' Combs at one of his White Parties
Sean 'Diddy' Combs at one of his White Parties ©Jon Furniss/WireImage for MAC Cosmetics

What is a white party?

The era-defining white parties were lavish affairs. All guests had to abide by a strict head-to-toe white dress code, with the bash set in all-white surroundings. ‘I wanted to strip away everyone’s image and put us all in the same colour, and on the same level,’ Combs told Oprah Winfrey in 2006.

Revellers including Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton at a White Party
Revellers including Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton at a White Party ©Stuart Morton/WireImage for MAC Cosmetics

Celebrity chef and businesswoman Martha Stewart, who was a guest at the first party, said, ‘Having an entire party all dressed in white was a stunning sight.’ Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke recalled that guests were turned away at the door for wearing beige or black shoes.

Where were the white parties held?

Combs’ white parties were held at his East Hampton waterfront home at Hedges Banks Drive over the Labor Day Weekend. The summer soirees, which lasted three days, branched out to St Tropez and Beverly Hills, California, when Combs moved to the West Coast. There were Fourth of July spin-offs too.

Sean 'Diddy' Combs' Hamptons home
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' Hamptons home ©Jamie McCarthy/WireImage for Bragman Nyman Cafarelli

When was the first white party?

The first white party took place on 7 September, 1998. ‘I remember the first party he threw in the Hamptons. It was iconic and everyone was there,’ said hotel heiress Paris Hilton.

The tradition started when Combs generously decided to show off his new Hamptons home by inviting more than 200 glitterati to a barbeque. He wanted to integrate the world of rap and hip-hop into the echelons of the mega-rich. ‘I had the craziest mix [of guests]: some of my boys from Harlem, Leonardo DiCaprio after he’d just finished Titanic. I had socialites there and relatives from down south. There were 200 people sitting out here, just having a down-home cookout,’ he said of that inaugural party.

That initial do led to Combs being described as ‘a modern-day Gatsby’. He relished the comparison to F Scott Fitzgerald’s character who threw extravagant parties to impress his wealthy neighbours, boasting, ‘I am the Great Gatsby.’

Who attended Combs’ white parties?

Howard Stern and Kelly Osbourne with Sean 'Diddy' Combs
Howard Stern and Kelly Osbourne with Sean 'Diddy' Combs ©Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage for Bad Boy Entertainment

The guestlist of Combs’ white parties read like a who’s who of the ‘90s and ‘00s. An invite meant you were someone worth knowing and cemented your A-list status, across entertainment, business, finance, fashion and technology. Movie stars mingled with singers, socialites and entrepreneurs, with frequent guests including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jay-Z and Beyonce, Mariah Carey, the Kardashians and Paris and Nicky Hilton.

Jay-Z and Sean 'Diddy' Combs
Jay-Z and Sean 'Diddy' Combs ©Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage for Bad Boy Entertainment

Jennifer Lopez, who dated Combs from 1999 to 2001, attended some parties too. Combs’ late wife Kim Porter, the mother of three of his children, was also a guest and was pictured with their twins, D’Lila and Jessie, on her lap.

Aretha Franklin and Sean 'Diddy' Combs
Aretha Franklin and Sean 'Diddy' Combs ©Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage for Bragman Nyman Cafarelli

Combs once declared Leo ‘the number one person’ on his invitation list for his parties.

There is no indication that the celebrity guests at Combs’ white parties were involved in any wrongdoing.

Who had 'golden tickets' to Diddy's parties?

Former music industry insider Tom Swoope has claimed that the parties were separated into ‘tiers’ of access, with ‘general admission’ and an ‘inner sanctum’ where drugs and sex were reportedly available.

What happened at the white parties?

Champagne was freely available, with guests served ‘champagne from heaven’ by models dressed as angels.

While the A-list attendees were seen posing for photos, it looked like things got more debauched once the sun went down. ‘We fed you all, we gave you drinks, now it’s time to enjoy life. This is a celebration of life. This is the real white party,’ Combs said in recently resurfaced footage from one of the events. ‘Kids have an hour left, [then] this thing turns into something that when you get older, this is something y’all gonna want to come to… so let’s just start to get our groove on, put the kids away. It’s all good.’

Guests at the 2003 White Party
Guests at the 2003 White Party ©Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage for Bad Boy Entertainment

Photos show Combs pouring Veuve Clicquot champagne over two topless women at the 1998 party while two half-naked women were pictured cavorting in the swimming pool and then pouring champagne into the open mouth of a male guest at the 2008 party. Another image showed two topless women straddling someone in the pool.

Combs himself had even told Entertainment Tonight that he felt one day he would be arrested for his 'crazy parties'.

White Party 2002
White Party 2002 ©Mat Szwajkos/CP/Getty Images for CP)

'You're gonna hear about my parties,' he said. 'They're gonna be shutting them down. They're gonna probably be arresting me, doing all types of crazy things just 'cause we wanna have a good time.'

What were Diddy's 'freak off' parties?

Another term used to describe Combs' events is 'freak off' or 'freak out' parties. When Combs' house was searched by Homeland Security in March, they seized 1,000 bottles of lubricant and baby oil which were allegedly used at his 'freak off' parties.

Prosecutors claimed that during the 'freak offs,' Combs would allegedly sedate women and force them into sex acts. The parties were described as 'elaborate and produced sex performances,' in which Combs allegedly booked hotel suites and hired sex workers while distributing drugs including cocaine, methamphetamine and oxycodone to keep partygoers 'obedient'. Afterwards, his staff would allegedly arrange for travel and IV supplies to help those involved recover.

Combs' lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, has maintained that the rapper is innocent and that everything that happened during the 'freak offs' was consensual.

When was the last white party?

The last white party was in Beverly Hills in 2009. Combs spoke about bringing it back in 2018, but it now looks like his White Parties will remain in the past.

Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website, we never allow this to influence product selections - read why you should trust us