Three weeks after Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced to 50 months, or just over four years, the disgraced music mogul’s release date has been revealed by the federal Bureau of Prisons.
Combs is looking at a May 8, 2028 release, which includes the year he served in a Brooklyn federal center after he was arrested in September 2024. The father of seven has the opportunity to earn “good conduct time” each year while serving his sentence as part of the First Step Act.
The Bad Boy Records founder remains locked up in Brooklyn while he awaits his official assignment.
Combs’ highly publicized federal trial, based on charges that also include racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution, began in New York on May 12. Combs pleaded not guilty and has denied all of the allegations against him. On Oct. 3, a federal judge sentenced him to 50 months, as well as fining him $500,000, and ordering five years of supervised release once he leaves prison.
Despite being partially convicted, the verdict was widely seen as a legal victory for him, as he was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have seen him sentenced to life in prison. A maximum sentence for his conviction would have put Combs behind bars for 20 years.
Unsurprisingly, Combs already filed a notice that he’s appealing his conviction and sentence — but that isn’t his only hope for an earlier release than his 2028 schedule. On Oct. 7, President Donald Trump confirmed that Combs had submitted a plea for a pardon after months of speculation that he would.
Trump has pardoned a number of celebrities since he took office in January, including rappers NBA YoungBoy, Kodak Black, and Lil Wayne, the latter two of whom were convicted on federal weapon charges. The president also pardoned incarcerated reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were convicted of bank fraud and tax evasion in 2022 after swindling $36 million out of banks in the Atlanta area.
David Mareuil/Anadolu Agency/Bloomberg via Getty
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Last Monday, TMZ reported that the president was “vacillating” on a commutation for the disgraced mogul, citing a “high-ranking White House official” as their source. However, a White House official strongly refuted the report in a statement shared with Entertainment Weekly.
“There is zero truth to the TMZ report, which we would’ve gladly explained had they reached out before running their fake news,” the official stated. “The President, not anonymous sources, is the final decider on pardons and commutations.”
TMZ responded by updating its original story with the statement, “The White House Communications Office is saying our story is not true. We stand by our story. Our story is accurate.”
