Streamer and media personality DJ Akademiks recently discussed Netflix's new docuseries about Diddy, titled Sean Combs: The Reckoning, and addressed the footage of the rapper taken in the days leading to his arrest in September 2024. For the uninitiated, the documentary, which premiered on Netflix on December 2, 2025, included never-before-seen footage of Diddy in New York City taken days before his arrest last year.The footage became a point of contention following the docuseries' teaser release, with Diddy's team claiming Netflix used "stolen footage" even as the company argued that it obtained the footage legally. On December 2, 2025, X account @AkademiksTV posted a clip of DJ Akademiks discussing the origins of the footage with a woman. In the clip, the media personality claimed that Diddy probably wanted to release his own documentary with Netflix after his trial, which explained why he had a videographer filming him days before his arrest. Akademiks further suggested that the supposed deal fell through after the rapper was found guilty on two counts of "transportation to engage in prostitution" and was sentenced to serve 50 months in prison."Diddy was doing a documentary thinking he was going to come out triumphant... Diddy had a relationship with [Netflix]... And he's filming it there, but of course, obviously, it wasn't a clean sweep on the prosecutor's side, but you're still going to prison. He basically kind of scraps it. Also, Netflix is saying, 'Alright, cool, just turn over what you got, and what we'll do, we'll just make it what it is, cause we're following reality,'" Akademiks said.Akademiks also hypothesized that Diddy might have been willing to continue the project with Netflix, despite losing the case, only if he could control it. He posited that the rapper might have wanted to "shape" the documentary to make it seem like he faced "malicious prosecution" in an attempt to send a message that while he might not be a "perfect guy," he was still a "good guy."When the interviewer wondered whether Diddy signed the footage over to Netflix, Akademiks alleged that the rapper didn't pay the videographers who filmed the footage, resulting in Netflix approaching them."He [Diddy] didn't pay for it. So, essentially, they're calling it a payment error. So, essentially, the deal falls apart...and the people who did the work and have all this footage, they're like, 'So wait, you told us to film because this was going to be on Netflix, now you're saying Netflix doesn't exist, and we're not getting paid because Diddy was going to pay with Netflix money.' And Netflix realized this, and they went to the filmers and said, 'Hey, give us the footage.'"Exploring the controversy surrounding the new footage in Diddy's Netflix documentaryNetflix's Sean Combs: The Reckoning, executively produced by 50 Cent, hit the streamer on December 2, 2025. One day before the docuseries' release, Netflix released a teaser featuring never-before-seen footage of Combs in New York City days before his arrest. Following this, a spokesperson for the rapper blasted the streamer for using the clips in a statement to Variety, dubbing it "stolen footage that was never authorized for release.""Netflix’s so-called ‘documentary’ is a shameful hit piece. Today’s GMA teaser confirms that Netflix relied on stolen footage that was never authorized for release. As Netflix and CEO Ted Sarandos know, Mr. Combs has been amassing footage since he was 19 to tell his own story, in his own way. It is fundamentally unfair, and illegal, for Netflix to misappropriate that work," the spokesperson said.The statement also accused Netflix of being "plainly desperate to sensationalize every minute" of Diddy's life, alleging that "no rights in that material were ever transferred to Netflix or any third party." It further described Netflix supposedly giving 50 Cent creative control over the docuseries as "equally staggering," calling the rapper "a longtime adversary with a personal vendetta who has spent too much time slandering Mr. Combs."According to CNN, Combs' legal team reportedly filed a cease-and-desist against Netflix over the footage, adding that the rapper "will not hesitate" to take legal action against the company if needed.Pierce Events 🔴 @PierceeventsLINKSean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ lawyers send cease-and-desist to Netflix, claim docuseries produced by 50 Cent uses ‘stolen’ footage. Combs previously filed a $100 million defamation suit against NBCUniversal for a documentary on Combs aired on Peacock.Meanwhile, Alexandria Stapleton, the docuseries' director, maintained that the footage was acquired legally, adding that the company "moved heaven and earth to keep the filmmaker’s identity confidential." Additionally, Netflix also backed her claim in a new statement to Variety on December 2, emphasizing that the footage was "legally obtained."“The claims being made about ‘Sean Combs: The Reckoning’ are false. The project has no ties to any past conversations between Sean Combs and Netflix. The footage of Combs leading up to his indictment and arrest were legally obtained. This is not a hit piece or an act of retribution. Curtis Jackson is an executive producer but does not have creative control. No one was paid to participate,” the statement read.Sean Combs: The Reckoning, the four-part docuseries described as a "staggering examination of the media mogul, music legend, and convicted offender," is now available to watch on Netflix.