As a survivor, Kristin Chenoweth hopes her story will help others.
After seeing the surveillance footage of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs assaulting ex Cassandra ‘Cassie’ Ventura, the Tony Award winner, 55, felt compelled to share her own experience with abuse.
‘I’ve just seen the Sean “Puffy” Combs ,’ Chenoweth wrote Friday on X (formerly Twitter). ‘There is no excuse no matter what his defense is. Heartbreaking I used to love him.’
She added in another post, ‘Honestly I have my reasons for the Sean Combs video bothering me so much. The main thing I need to do is pray for him. For real.’
Chenoweth reluctantly went into further detail in a follow-up post on Saturday as she defended her decision to pray for Combs, 54.
After seeing the surveillance footage of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs assaulting ex Cassandra ‘Cassie’ Ventura, Kristin Chenoweth felt compelled to share her own experience with abuse
‘I’ve just seen the Sean “Puffy” Combs ,’ Chenoweth wrote Friday on X (formerly Twitter). ‘There is no excuse no matter what his defense is. Heartbreaking I used to love him’
‘Never wanted to come out with it, but here we go,’ she wrote. ‘Several years ago I was severely abused. It took me therapy and prayer to understand I deserved better.
‘I was deeply injured physically and spiritually. The only thing I knew to do when I got out was pray. Pray for myself. Pray for him as he grew up abused. So. There y’all go,’ added Chenoweth.
The Wicked star recalled the experience as ‘the lowest I’ve been in my life,’ adding: ‘I must admit I haven’t forgiven yet. It’s beyond me. God is helping me through that part.’
As fans praised her candor, Chenoweth added, ‘Maybe it helped someone.’
She tied the knot with Josh Bryant in Dallas back in November after previously dating Aaron Sorkin, Seth Green, Dana Brunetti, Lane Garrison and Marc Kudisch.
Garrison was arrested for domestic violence in 2012 when he was seen on surveillance footage slapping ex-girlfriend Ashley Mattingly.
Chenoweth’s post comes after CNN obtained surveillance footage of Combs, 54, violently attacking Cassie, 37, at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.
Cassie is reportedly cooperating with the federal investigation into her ex, although the Los Angeles DA said they could not prosecute Diddy based on the video, due to the statute of limitations.
Between November 2023 and February 2024, four women, including Cassie, and record producer Rodney ‘Lil Rod’ Jones all filed lawsuits accusing Diddy of sexual assault, rape, sex trafficking and physical abuse.
Chenoweth wrote in a follow-up post, ‘Never wanted to come out with it, but here we go. Several years ago I was severely abused. It took me therapy and prayer to understand I deserved better’
Chenoweth’s post comes after CNN obtained surveillance footage of Combs violently attacking Cassie at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016
Cassie is reportedly cooperating with the federal investigation into her ex, although the Los Angeles DA said they could not prosecute Diddy based on the video, due to the statute of limitations
The complaints culminated in Homeland Security Investigations raiding his homes late last month, where they were seen removing boxes and bags of evidence.
Diddy’s attorney Aaron Dyer has since shared a statement calling the raids a ‘witch hunt’ and insisting his client is innocent.
‘Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences,’ he said. ‘There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated.
‘Mr. Combs was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities. Despite media speculation, neither Mr. Combs nor any of his family members have been arrested nor has their ability to travel been restricted in any way.
‘This unprecedented ambush – paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence – leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits,’ he continued.
Dyer added, ‘There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.’