A photo is being circulated on social media platforms with a false claim Kamala Harris Posing with the scene”Diddy” Combs. This image reappeared following the rapper’s indictment Sex traffickingracketeering and other serious charges. However, the photo has been altered; the original, taken in 2001, actually shows the current US vice president with the talk show host montel williamswith whom he had a brief relationship.
“Diddy client list goes all the way to the top,” said an ex’s post shared on September 16, 2024, the day Combs was arrested by federal agents in New York.
Similar posts have proliferated on X and other platforms following Combs’ indictment. The 54-year-old Grammy-winning artist faces multiple charges, including transporting victims across state borders for prostitution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Combs pleaded not guilty on Sept. 17.
The indictment claims that Combs “abused, intimidated, and coerced women and others around him for decades to satisfy his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his behavior.” The indictment also accuses him of running a “criminal enterprise” involved in sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.
Combs, better known as Puff Daddy or P DiddyHis reputation has suffered in recent years, particularly after civil lawsuits painted him as a violent sexual predator who allegedly drugged his victims. Raids on his luxury homes in Miami and Los Angeles in March signaled that a federal investigation and possible criminal case were underway.
The doctored photo of Harris and Combs is just one of many examples of gender-based misinformation Harris has been targeted since her selection as the Democratic Party’s vice-presidential nominee and her rise to prominence.
A reverse image search of the photo revealed that the original photo was taken by Getty Images two decades ago (archived here). The unaltered version shows Harris with Montel Williams, the host of “The Montel Williams Show” in the 1990s and early 2000s and a former Marine, as well as their daughter, Ashley Williams.
The caption of the original photo reads: “Talk show host Montel Williams, daughter Ashley Williams and Kamala Harris attend the 8th Annual Race to Erase Multiple Sclerosis at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, California on May 18, 2001.”
Screenshot of photo taken on September 17, 2024 by Ron Galella, Ltd., available at Getty Images
Several other photos from Getty Images also show the three at the event (archived here).
Although Williams and Harris dated briefly in the early 2000s, her political career has reignited interest in her past relationship, resulting in false claims spreading online.
In 2019, Williams addressed the ex rumors, saying: “@KamalaHarris and I dated briefly about 20 years ago when we were both single. So what? I have tremendous respect for Senator Harris” (archived here).
In response to recent claims on social media that footage from the 2001 event shows Harris with Combs, Williams posted on September 17, 2024: “They’re back to saying ‘all black people look the same…’.”
“Diddy client list goes all the way to the top,” said an ex’s post shared on September 16, 2024, the day Combs was arrested by federal agents in New York.
Similar posts have proliferated on X and other platforms following Combs’ indictment. The 54-year-old Grammy-winning artist faces multiple charges, including transporting victims across state borders for prostitution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Combs pleaded not guilty on Sept. 17.
The indictment claims that Combs “abused, intimidated, and coerced women and others around him for decades to satisfy his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his behavior.” The indictment also accuses him of running a “criminal enterprise” involved in sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.
Combs, better known as Puff Daddy or P DiddyHis reputation has suffered in recent years, particularly after civil lawsuits painted him as a violent sexual predator who allegedly drugged his victims. Raids on his luxury homes in Miami and Los Angeles in March signaled that a federal investigation and possible criminal case were underway.
The doctored photo of Harris and Combs is just one of many examples of gender-based misinformation Harris has been targeted since her selection as the Democratic Party’s vice-presidential nominee and her rise to prominence.
A reverse image search of the photo revealed that the original photo was taken by Getty Images two decades ago (archived here). The unaltered version shows Harris with Montel Williams, the host of “The Montel Williams Show” in the 1990s and early 2000s and a former Marine, as well as their daughter, Ashley Williams.
The caption of the original photo reads: “Talk show host Montel Williams, daughter Ashley Williams and Kamala Harris attend the 8th Annual Race to Erase Multiple Sclerosis at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, California on May 18, 2001.”
Screenshot of photo taken on September 17, 2024 by Ron Galella, Ltd., available at Getty Images
Several other photos from Getty Images also show the three at the event (archived here).
Although Williams and Harris dated briefly in the early 2000s, her political career has reignited interest in her past relationship, resulting in false claims spreading online.
In 2019, Williams addressed the ex rumors, saying: “@KamalaHarris and I dated briefly about 20 years ago when we were both single. So what? I have tremendous respect for Senator Harris” (archived here).
In response to recent claims on social media that footage from the 2001 event shows Harris with Combs, Williams posted on September 17, 2024: “They’re back to saying ‘all black people look the same…’.”
Here are five major false claims circulating about him:
- “Kamala Harris is not American, is not Black, and cannot run for president.” This lie spread by the Republican campaign calls into question her eligibility to run for office by claiming she is not American or Black. The reality is that Kamala Harris is a natural-born American citizen. She was born on October 20, 1964, in California to parents of multiracial heritage. Her mother Shyamala Gopalan was from India, and her father Donald J. Harris is of African descent from Jamaica.
- “Kamala Harris partied with Jeffrey Epstein.” The fake news was spread using a doctored photo. The original photo shows Harris with her husband Doug Emhoff, but the doctored version shows convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein instead of Emhoff.
- “Kamala Harris had an affair with Willie Brown.” Although Harris had a relationship with former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, it was not an “affair” as rumored. Brown was separated from her husband at the time. Brown herself spoke about this in an article in 2020. San Francisco ChronicleAcknowledging their relationship, he said, “Yes, we used to date. It was more than 20 years ago.”
- “Kamala Harris was Montel Williams’s sidekick.” After Biden dropped out of the race, a clip resurfaced showing former talk show host Montel Williams with two women — one of them Kamala Harris. Some social media users incorrectly labeled Harris his “side-piece.” In response, Montel clarified on Axe (formerly Twitter) that the other woman in the clip was his daughter Ashley Williams, and confirmed that he and Harris had been dating for some time at the time, and were both single.
- “Kamala Harris vows revenge on Trump supporters.” The quote, falsely attributed to Harris, is taken from a satirical article published in 2019. It claims she said, “Once Trump is gone and we have regained our rightful place in the White House, keep in mind that if you supported him… you will feel the vengeance of a nation.” Kamala Harris has never made such a statement.
