25 Years Ago, Sean Combs Requested to Change His Stage Name to P. Diddy on MTV
25 Years Ago, Sean Combs Requested to Change His Stage Name to P. Diddy on MTV
Will SayreSat, March 28, 2026 at 11:15 PM UTC
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(Photo by Jan Butchofsky on Getty Images)
Right now, he's behind bars. But there was a time when Sean Combs was a top figure in the music industry.
Actually, come to think of — 25 years ago to this day, the controversial artist, now 56, was also in hot water with the U.S. legal system. It was just weeks after Combs — now known as "Diddy" — was found not guilty on charges of gun possession and bribery in a headline-making criminal trial that was certainly unnerving for the celebrity.
And on March 28, 2001, the "I'll Be Missing You" rapper sat down for an interview on MTV and requested that he no longer be called "Puffy" as a stage name. It was "Puff Daddy" before that, as music fans are well aware — but Saturday, March 28 marks 25 years since Combs asked to be called "P. Diddy," in an attempt at a fresh start.
"No more Puff Daddy. I'm not doing it as serious as Prince. I just want something fresh," Combs told the MTV show, per The Guardian, referencing how Prince had revived his original name around that time after briefly changing it to a symbol. "I'm rocking with P. Diddy now. My man Biggie gave me that name."
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The former record producer continued, in thinking about his future before taking up his "P. Diddy" persona, "I gotta take a break. I'm going to take a leave of absence just to be Sean Combs [to] have time to think about what's the next level I want to play on."
Several years later, in August 2005, Combs changed his stage name yet again — to simply "Diddy."
The now-convicted felon made headlines recently yet again after fellow inmate Suge Knightannounced a new memoir that will be released in August. Per the book's description, the former CEO of Death Row Records, 60, is expected to address his past "brawls" with "P. Diddy" in the upcoming publication.
This story was originally published by Parade on Mar 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
