Dave Benett / Getty Images for TAO Group Hospitality / Emma McIntyre / The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images
Cassie Ventura has broken her silence on a video depicting her ex-boyfriend, Sean "Diddy" Combs, physically assaulting her in 2016, and asked the public to believe victims "the first time."
On Friday, CNN published surveillance footage of the assault taken from the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles in March 2016. The footage, which appears to show Combs shoving, kicking, and dragging Ventura in a hallway, was released months after Ventura filed a federal lawsuit against Combs in November 2023, accusing the hip-hop mogul of rape and physical abuse during their decadelong on-and-off relationship.
Combs denied Ventura's allegations at the time and settled the lawsuit the day after it was filed, CNN reported at the time. But on Sunday, two days after the 2016 video leaked, he publicly apologized.
On Thursday, Ventura shared a statement on Instagram that did not mention Combs by name.
"Thank you for all of the love and support from my family, friends, strangers and those I have yet to meet. The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning," she wrote in a text image.
"Domestic Violence is THE issue," Ventura added. "It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past."
Later in the statement, Ventura offered support to other people "still living in fear" and asked the public to trust victims more.
"My only ask is that EVERYONE open your heart to believing victims the first time. It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in," Ventura wrote.
Ventura ended the post by saying that her "healing journey is never ending," but she appreciates the support.
Ventura's statement is the first public comment she has made regarding her relationship with Combs since she settled her lawsuit with him. The agreement's details were never publicly disclosed.
Representatives for Combs did not respond to a request for comment.
Five others have filed sexual misconduct lawsuits against Combs, derailing his media empire as businesses pulled their deals and associations with the rapper. Combs has denied the allegations in four of the lawsuits against him, saying he would "fight for my name, my family and for the truth." He has not yet commented on the fifth suit, filed on Tuesday by a former model who accused the rapper of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2003.
On March 25, the Department of Homeland Security raided Combs' Los Angeles and Miami homes as part of its ongoing investigation. He has not been criminally charged at this time, and in a previous statement to Business Insider, Aaron Dyer, a lawyer for Combs, called the search a "gross overuse of military-level force."
Ventura's husband, Alex Fine, also shared a statement on Instagram last week hours after CNN published the hotel video. In the statement, he called on men to support women and protect them from abusive men.
"To all the women and children, I'm sorry you live in a world where you're not protected, and you don't feel equal. I want to raise my daughters in a world where they are safe and loved," he wrote.
