Claim:
A photograph authentically shows Sean “Diddy” Combs smiling in a prison yard while holding a basketball, accompanied by another person holding his arm and chatting with a third person.
Rating:
Rating: Fake
In late 2025, online users claimed an image showed music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs smiling and appearing to chat with others in prison, while he held a basketball and another inmate held onto his arm.
The image in question had a TMZ watermark, suggesting the tabloid news organization was its source. One X user captioned the image, “Diddy spotted laughing with a gay inmate – via TMZ.” Another post claimed Combs was “living his best life” while in prison.
(X user @EXECUTIVEXMEDIA)
However, the above image was fake. TMZ denied publishing the image, saying it was generated by artificial intelligence. We also found no authentic news source reporting on the same image.
Combs was arrested Sept. 16, 2024, on federal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. As of this writing, he was serving more than four years in prison after being convicted on prostitution-related charges.
We reached out to Combs’ public relations team to confirm whether the above image truly showed Combs in prison. Juda Engelmayer, a representative for Combs, told Snopes over email:
These images are not real. They are AI fabrications. Sean has always treated people with kindness and respect, but it’s disconcerting how often manipulated or AI-generated images are being pushed into the conversation while he is in a federal facility. Nothing in these doctored photos reflects reality.
Using reverse-image search tools, we found the image spread online in late November and early December 2025. No reliable news outlet reported on or verified the authenticity of this image.
Snopes ran the image through AI-detection tools AI or Not, SightEngine and Hive Moderation. Hive Moderation determined it was likely AI generated, while AI or Not and Sight Engine said it was likely real. (Research shows AI-detection software is imperfect, and readers should consider the tools’ results with skepticism.)
The image appeared to have been taken from a video that was clearly AI-generated. TMZ shared that video on TikTok and Instagram, noting it was fake. In a caption posted Dec. 1, 2025, the entertainment gossip outlet stated: “Diddy seemingly can’t stop hugging his fellow inmates… except those images are AI chat. […] Sorry to bust your bubble.”
A TMZ article about the in-question image and others stated: “If you see these sorts of pics or videos on socials, especially those with TMZ watermarks, just go to tmz.com and see if it’s on our site. If it’s not, you know it ain’t real.”
TMZ also claimed to have obtained real images of Combs, sporting a gray beard, in the prison yard. While these other images of Diddy appear to look like him, we were unable to independently confirm their authenticity.
Other fake images claimed to show Combs hugging other incarcerated people in selfies, serving people in the prison cafeteria, and posing for selfies while eating instant noodles.
Snopes has covered numerous claims about Combs, including his alleged friendship with U.S. President Donald Trump to rumors about his high school yearbook and his alleged partying with former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Sources:
“Diddy Caught Drinking at Fort Dix.” TMZ, 7 Nov. 2025, https://www.tmz.com/2025/11/07/diddy-caught-drinking-fort-dix-prison/. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
“Diddy Hanging With Former NBA Star Sebastian Telfair in Prison, See Pics.” TMZ, 3 Nov. 2025, https://www.tmz.com/2025/11/03/diddy-former-nba-star-sebastian-telfair-new-jersey-prison/. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
“Diddy Hugged Up in Prison, New Pics and Video Not the Real Deal.” TMZ, 1 Dec. 2025, https://www.tmz.com/2025/12/01/diddy-prison-photo-selfie-ai-videos/. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
Esposito, Joey. “25 Rumors Involving Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs We’ve Investigated since His 2024 Arrest.” Snopes, 24 May 2025, https://www.snopes.com//collections/diddy-sean-combs-rumors-collection/. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
Ibrahim, Nur. “Trump Once Called Diddy a ‘Good Guy’, Said He Would ‘Stick Up For Him’?” Snopes, 20 Sept. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/trump-diddy-good-guy-quote/. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
Ibrahim, Nur. “Video Doesn’t Show Harris at Party Alongside Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.” Snopes, 18 Sept. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/kamala-harris-party-sean-diddy-combs/. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
Kar, Sujita Kumar, et al. “How Sensitive Are the Free AI-Detector Tools in Detecting AI-Generated Texts? A Comparison of Popular AI-Detector Tools.” Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, vol. 47, no. 3, May 2025, pp. 275–78. PubMed Central, https://doi.org/10.1177/02537176241247934. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Is Arrested in New York after Federal Indictment.” AP News, 17 Sept. 2024, https://apnews.com/article/sean-diddy-combs-arrested-93831d646c5cf36add77a91ba668ae84. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Jailed by Judge after Sex Trafficking Indictment.” AP News, 17 Sept. 2024, https://apnews.com/article/sean-diddy-combs-arrested-court-5d570cab4625ca5f9dd16dfd7df4437c. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
“Sean “Diddy” Combs Sentenced to over 4 Years in Prison.” BBC, 4 Oct. 2025, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czx0gx227z4o. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
