WASHINGTON, DC (CelebrityAccess) – Howard University’s board of trustees voted unanimously on Friday (June 7) to revoke the honorary degree awarded to Sean “Diddy” Combs in 2014, stating that he is “no longer worthy to hold the institution’s highest honor.”
Howard, a private historically Black research university in the Nation’s Capital, has also decided to return Combs’ $1 million donation and cancel a $1 million pledge from the Sean Combs Foundation. The board stated that Combs’ recent actions contradict the university’s core values.
“Mr. Combs’ behavior, as captured in a recently released video, is so fundamentally incompatible with Howard University’s core values and beliefs that he is deemed no longer worthy to hold the institution’s highest honor,” the board’s statement read. “The University is unwavering in its opposition to all acts of interpersonal violence.”
This decision is particularly impactful given Combs’ longstanding relationship with Howard. Although he left after his second year as a business major, he received an honorary doctorate in humanities in 2014 and delivered the commencement speech that same year.
The controversy erupted after CNN aired a surveillance video showing Combs physically assaulting his then-girlfriend, singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, in a hallway at the now-defunct InterContinental Hotel in the Los Angeles area. The footage from March 5, 2016, depicts Combs shoving Ventura to the ground, kicking her, dragging her down the hallway, and throwing glass vases at her.
The disturbing nature of the video is one of the few instances where the public has witnessed an incident of domestic abuse rather than just hearing or reading about it.
In response, Combs posted a video on Instagram shortly after the footage surfaced, admitting, “My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video.”
Despite his apology, the video remains a stark reminder of the incident. “We find the images extremely disturbing and difficult to watch,” stated L.A. District Attorney George Gascón’s office on Instagram on May 17. However, the D.A. noted, “If the conduct depicted occurred in 2016, unfortunately, we would be unable to charge.”
Founded in 1867, Howard University offers a broad range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees across more than 120 programs. The institution boasts notable alumni in the arts, including Chadwick Boseman, Phylicia Rashad, Anthony Anderson, Roxie Roker, Taraji P. Henson, Nick Cannon, Toni Morrison, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Ta-Nehisi Coates.
