[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
A former backup dancer who worked for Diddy in the ‘90s is reflecting on a “traumatizing” story amid all the ongoing controversy.
On Wednesday, entertainment reporter Tanika Ray shared a clip on Instagram of former MSNBC host Touré detailing a troubling story about the disgraced rapper. He alleged that once upon a time, he asked Diddy to hire his male family member as an intern. But only a few months later, the internship abruptly ended and the family member didn’t tell him why… Until years later. The unnamed man eventually alleged that Diddy told the intern, “come home, stay the night with me or the internship is over.” But Touré’s family member refused — and the internship ended.
WTF. And if that wasn’t shocking enough, now there’s more.
Tanika stitched a clip of that story along with her own recollection of a “horrific” event that went down back in the day. And it changed her relationship to the Bad Boy For Life rapper forever. While seemingly stating her belief in Touré’s allegations, she recalled:
“We all have stories. Seriously, we all have stories. Mine is horrific and only five people know it. And I probably will never tell it. But since then, I’ve been like, ‘Yup.’”
She continued:
“I am very intimately aware that you tell your truth and you become victimized over and over … and mind you I then interviewed him many times. I have a lot of stories, y’all. I’ve been in Hollywood for 25 years, maybe longer, 30? I got a lot of stories, unfortunately. Maybe I’ll write a book one day. But it just is so traumatizing that women just want to live every day and feel safe, and when we revisit and revisit, we live in a state of victimhood, and nobody wants to live there. So for those of you who are like, ‘Why didn’t you say something then?’ Because we just want to live. We want to be happy, and we really want to forget the trauma.”
Whoa… That sounds really, REALLY serious. While she didn’t touch on what specifically went down, she added in her caption that she’s since avoided Diddy at “all costs” for her own well-being:
“Oh yeah women hold a lot in order to function everyday in a man’s world. Unfortch we can compartmentalization out pain and carry on. We utilize the experience as a lesson and move differently. If I told my story in 1996 then What?? I just knew to avoid him at all costs.”
The 52-year-old continued:
“Yes I danced for him and kept my space. I was on the Vote or Die airplane and kept my space. I interviewed him for his projects and kept my space. Nothing that is happening is surprising. Ladies keep space to heal and move on is key. Gathering to incriminate is goals. But in this wild world with a broke azz system… our healing is priority. Shame on all those men that let this continue. Shame on me maybe for prioritizing my mental health some would say. But after working in a place that snatches souls… mine is in tact and of the light.”
Wow… Whatever happened, we feel deeply for her.
She concluded with a reference to the lawsuit Diddy’s ex Cassie filed against him late last year:
“I saved myself. Now if someone needs me to pile on my story, give me a call. But I think Cassie got it!!”
Troubling stuff… What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments down below.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.
[Images via Tanika Ray/Instagram & Vogue/YouTube]
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