Did Kamala Harris pose with Sean 'Diddy' Combs? Here's the truth

A photo circulating across social media platforms falsely claims to show Kamala Harris posing with Sean " Diddy " Combs. This image reappeared following the rapper's indictment for sex trafficking , racketeering, and other serious charges. However, the photo has been altered; the original, taken in 2001, actually depicts the current US vice president alongside talk show host Montel Williams , with whom she had a brief relationship.

“The Diddy Client List goes all the way to the top,” said an X post shared on 16 September 2024, the day Combs was arrested by federal agents in New York.

Similar posts sharing the doctored image have spread across X and other platforms after Combs' indictment. The 54-year-old Grammy-winning artist is facing multiple charges, including transporting victims across state lines for prostitution, as per the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Combs pleaded not guilty on 17 September.

The indictment claims that Combs "abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him for decades to satisfy his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his behaviour." It further accuses him of running a "criminal enterprise" involved in sex trafficking, forced labour, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.

Combs, also known as Puff Daddy or P Diddy , has seen his reputation severely damaged in recent years, particularly after civil lawsuits characterised him as a violent sexual predator who allegedly drugged his victims. Raids on his luxury homes in Miami and Los Angeles in March indicated that a federal investigation and potential criminal case were underway.

The doctored image involving Harris and Combs is one of many examples of gendered disinformation aimed at Harris since her rise to prominence and selection as the Democratic Party’s vice-presidential nominee.

A reverse image search of the photo identified the original, which was captured by Getty Images over two decades ago (archived here). The unaltered version shows Harris with Montel Williams, a former marine and host of "The Montel Williams Show" in the 1990s and early 2000s, along with his daughter Ashley Williams.

The original photo's caption reads: "Talk Show Host Montel Williams, daughter Ashley Williams, and Kamala Harris attending the Eighth Annual Race to Erase Multiple Sclerosis on 18 May 2001 at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, California."

Screenshot taken on 17 September 2024 of a photo by Ron Galella, Ltd., available on Getty Images

Several other photos from Getty Images also show the trio at the event (archived here).

Although Williams and Harris dated briefly in the early 2000s, her political career has led to renewed interest in their past relationship, resulting in the spread of false claims online.

In 2019, Williams addressed the rumours on X, saying: "@KamalaHarris and I briefly dated about 20 years ago when we were both single. So what? I have great respect for Sen. Harris" (archived here).

In response to recent social media claims that footage from the 2001 event shows Harris with Combs, Williams posted on 17 September 2024: "Here they go again with 'all black people look alike...'"

Here they go again with “all black people look alike…” https://t.co/rsWUv9tIjn

— Montel Williams (@Montel_Williams) September 17, 2024

Here are five prominent false claims circulating about her:

"Kamala Harris is not American, not Black, and can't run for president." This falsehood, largely driven by the Republican campaign, questions her eligibility to run by claiming she isn't American or Black. The reality is that Kamala Harris is a natural-born U.S. citizen. She was born in California on October 20, 1964, to parents of multiracial heritage. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, hailed from India, and her father, Donald J. Harris, is of African descent from Jamaica.

"Kamala Harris partied with Jeffrey Epstein." This fake news was spread using a doctored image. The original photograph features Harris with her husband, Doug Emhoff, but in the manipulated version, Emhoff was replaced with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

"Kamala Harris had an affair with Willie Brown." While Harris did have a relationship with former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown, it was not an "affair" in the sense implied by rumors. Brown had already separated from his spouse at the time. Brown himself addressed this in a 2020 op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle, acknowledging their relationship, saying, "Yes, we dated. It was more than 20 years ago."

"Kamala Harris was Montel Williams' side-piece." After Biden dropped out of the race, a clip resurfaced showing former talk show host Montel Williams with two women—one of them being Kamala Harris. Some social media users falsely labeled Harris as his "side-piece." In response, Montel clarified on X (formerly Twitter) that the other woman in the clip was his daughter, Ashley Williams, and confirmed that he and Harris were briefly dating at the time, and both were single.

"Kamala Harris vowed revenge on Trump supporters." This quote, falsely attributed to Harris, originated from a satirical article published in 2019. It claimed that she said, "Once Trump’s gone and we have regained our rightful place in the White House, look out if you supported him... you will feel the vengeance of a nation." Kamala Harris has never made such a statement.