Photo shows Kamala Harris posing beside Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Stand up for the facts!
Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.
I would like to contribute
No, this photo doesn’t show Kamala Harris posing with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
If Your Time is short
-
The photo was altered.
-
The original photo was taken in 2001 and Kamala Harris was standing beside talk show host Montel Williams, whom she dated briefly at the time.
A photo circulating online claims to show a young Kamala Harris posing beside music magnate Sean "Diddy" Combs, who faces federal sex trafficking charges.
A Sept. 17 Facebook post shared a screenshot of an X post with this photo, which appears to show Harris at an event with Combs and another woman. The X post’s caption read, "The Diddy Client List goes all the way to the top."
The Facebook post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)
Users on X also shared this photo of Harris, vice president and 2024 Democratic presidential nominee.
(Screengrabs from Facebook and Getty Images)
Sign up for PolitiFact texts
But the image was altered.
A reverse-image search using Google Images found that the original photo was taken May 18, 2001, at the eighth annual Race to Erase Multiple Sclerosis at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, California, according to Getty Images.
The man standing beside Harris is talk show host Montel Williams, not Combs. Harris and Williams briefly dated in the early 2000s. The other woman in the photo is Montel Williams’ daughter, Ashley Williams.
Featured Fact-check
Montel Williams responded Sept. 17 to an X post sharing this altered image, saying "Here they go again with ‘all black people look alike … ’" The X post sharing the altered image has since been deleted.
In 2020, Harris posted on X, thanking Combs for hosting an online town hall about racial inequity and the COVID-19 pandemic. Harris, then a Democratic U.S. senator from California, spoke at the event.
Harris’ X post resurfaced following Combs’ Sept. 16 arrest in New York City. Combs pleaded not guilty to federal charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. A federal judge ordered Combs to remain in jail while he awaits trial.
But the 2001 photo doesn’t show Harris and Combs posing together. We rate this claim False.
Our Sources
Facebook post (archived version), Sept. 17, 2024
X post (archived version), Sept. 18, 2024
X post (archived version), Sept. 17, 2024
X post (archived version), Sept. 17, 2024
Reverse-image search using Google Images, Sept. 19, 2024
Getty Images, Photo of talk show host Montel Williams, daughter Ashley Williams and Kamala Harris, May 18, 2001
Montel Williams, X post, Aug. 7, 2019
Montel Williams, X post, Sept. 17, 2024
Kamala Harris, X post, April 10, 2020
The New York Times, "Sean Combs Must Remain in Jail Until Trial After Judge Denies Bail Appeal," Sept. 18, 2024
Agence France-Presse, "Kamala Harris did not pose with Sean 'Diddy' Combs in 2001 photo | Fact Check," Sept. 17, 2024
Snopes, "Photo Doesn't Show Harris Attending Party with Sean 'Diddy' Combs," Sept. 18, 2024
Lead Stories, "Fact Check: FAKE Photo Has Kamala Harris Posing With Sean 'Diddy' Combs -- Actual Photo Was Harris With TV Host Montel Williams In 2001," Sept. 17, 2024
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Sara Swann
No, this photo doesn’t show Kamala Harris posing with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.