Dawn Richard Hints She Was Forced To Choose Diddy Over Danity Kane

Former Danity Kane band member Dawn Richard recently hinted that she was forced to choose Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs over her bandmates. Her claim comes just weeks after Danity Kane reunited as a trio for their “Untold Chapter” tour. Days before the tour kicked off, all eyes were on the successful girl group after Diddy was the subject of an explosive Netflix docuseries, “Sean Combs: The Reckoning.”

On the “Cocoism” podcast, Richard, 42, opened up about her career with Diddy, which included her stint in Danity Kane and in Diddy’s personal band, Diddy Dirty Money. She spoke about the complexities of working under the rapper and implied there was more to the story than people realized.

“People say, ‘Oh, you chose Dirty Money over Danity Kane,’ and it’s like, no, I was bought out of a contract, and I was told I couldn’t leave,” she said. “I was threatened, but I didn’t tell everybody that. I just did what I had to do to get out of it, because I didn’t feel like that was everybody’s business.”

According to Richard, she’s found telling her story more challenging than she thought it would be because of the backlash. “People gonna believe whatever the f-ck they gonna believe anyway,” she said. “If I don’t go every day online screaming, then the narrative gets picked. They only believe whatever the one person says.”

Prior to her appearance on the “Cocoism” podcast, Richard sparked some chaos online after claiming she wasn’t invited to the ongoing Danity Kane reunion tour. “Even without being told about the reunion, I will always be a yes to Danity Kane,” she wrote online, according to The Blast. “That chapter lives in me forever.”

Richard explained that Danity Kane will always have a special place in her heart, adding, “I always choose to perform these records out of love for the music, the memories, and the legacy we built together. So here is a little something for the DK fans. I love you always.”

Elsewhere in the podcast interview, Richard got candid about Aubrey O’Day, Aundrea Fimbres, and D. Woods’ idea to reunite as a trio. “I wasn’t involved; I was iced out of this one,” she claimed.

“That’s a choice [they made], but I’m not going to go back and forth and be messy and call myself ‘the mother’ [of the group because I came up with the name]. I wish it could be all five of us,” she continued. While disappointed, Richard admitted that she didn’t see the group coming together to make music again.

Richard made headlines in the summer of 2025 after expressing her disappointment with the split verdict in Diddy’s federal trial. For those unfamiliar, the Bad Boy Records founder was found guilty of two prostitution charges and acquitted of the more serious crimes, such as racketeering and sex trafficking.

Prior to the verdict, Richard filed her own lawsuit against the “Making the Band” creator, alleging he made her and her bandmates rehearse for up to 48 hours without rest or food. In the documents, she also alleged that Diddy sexually assaulted her while she was working with a stylist, groping her buttocks and breasts.

Through her lawyer, Richard stated that Diddy’s federal trial was “different than the civil claims we filed and have been fighting against Sean Combs.” They added, “We will continue to aggressively fight our case until we obtain full and complete justice.”