Watch Usher Admit In This Old, Awkward Interview That He Would Never Let His Children Stay With Diddy

In the wake of Diddy’s arrest, many stars have been speaking out about the allegations against him. Along with the spotlight now surrounding the rapper and producer, along with those associated with him, there are video clips, interviews, and photos from celebrities that are now being questioned and scrutinized.

Of the many celebrities in question, R&B singer Usher is being scrutinized due to Diddy mentoring him early in his career.

Usher was first introduced to Diddy through L.A Reid

Embed from Getty Images

In the ’90s, L.A. Reid was one of the biggest names in the music industry. He signed Usher to his label, LaFace Records, in 1993. After Usher’s first big hit, he needed some help molding the 14-year-old Usher into a big household name.

He turned to Diddy, who at the time went by P. Diddy. Reid revealed in his recent memoir, Sing To Me: My Story Of Making Music, Finding Magic And Searching For Who’s Next, that he and Diddy became close after the two met and his talents blew him away.

He also took credit for helping establish Diddy’s record label, Bad Boy Records.

Reid knew Diddy could help Usher find his “swagger”

Embed from Getty Images

After Usher’s single “Make Me a Mack” was a hit, he needed some help to further establish his career. Reid claimed that Usher was missing that “bad boy swagger” and knew Diddy would be the right person to help.

Therefore, he decided to send Usher to live with Diddy in New York for an extended period. However, he couldn’t just ship a minor off to live with him; he needed permission from Usher’s parents.

Usher’s mother, Jonetta Patton, signed off on the idea

Embed from Getty Images

Patton, who left her career to be Usher’s full-time manager, allowed her son to be shipped off to New York to attend “Puffy Flavor Camp,” what they called Diddy’s home at the time. Usher lived with Diddy in New York for a full year.

At the time, Diddy was one of the biggest names in music

Embed from Getty Images

Mentoring and producing massive hits, Reid thought that he was doing a great thing by sending Usher to Puffy Flavor Camp.

“I didn’t know whether I was being irresponsible or having an epiphany. I would never be sure flavor camp worked until he came back,” he wrote in his book. However, once Usher returned, things were certain.

Reid claimed that after a year with Diddy, 14-year-old Usher had truly discovered himself

Embed from Getty Images

Reid recalled meeting Diddy at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills where he showed up with Usher’s “new album.”

After a year with Diddy, Usher transformed into an artist belting out tracks with a swagger that he never had before. Reid writes that Diddy danced around to the album as it played, and he was in awe of the outcome.

However, the success of Usher did not come without a price

In a 2016 interview on The Howard Stern Show, Usher was asked about his time staying with Diddy as a child.

“I got a chance to see some things … I don’t know if I could indulge and even understand what I was looking at,” Usher claimed. He admitted on the show that he was sent there to see the lifestyle, and it was indeed crazy.

While the parties were crazy, at the time, Usher didn’t quite understand

On the 2016 episode of Howard Stern’s show, they asked Usher about specifics such as orgies and other promiscuous events. Usher shared that there were definitely crazy things that went on, but at the time being 14 years old, he didn’t quite understand everything around him.

He did, however, get to meet some of the biggest names in rap — such as Biggie Smalls, Lil’ Kim, and others.

When Howard Stern asked if Usher would let his kids attend, the answer was quite clear

The podcast show host asked the Grammy Award-winning artist if he’d let any of his four children attend Diddy’s parties or his Puffy Flavor Camp. Usher almost automatically exclaimed, “Hell no!”

In 2004, Usher admitted in an interview that Diddy’s parties had a lot of inappropriate situations for a young teen

Embed from Getty Images

“Sex is so hot in the industry, man. There was always girls around. You’d open a door and see somebody doing it, or several people in a room having an orgy. You never knew what was going to happen,” he told Rolling Stones Magazine in 2004.

Diddy is currently in jail, facing charges of sex-trafficking and racketeering

Despite appealing his bail denial, Diddy will remain in federal prison until his trial. He faces charges of three criminal counts, including sex trafficking and racketeering.

In addition, he faces counts of sexual assault. Although he had pleaded guilty to all charges, each held a life sentence in prison. Diddy will stand trial against three judges in May 2025.