Jamal Bryant, TD Jakes speak out on domestic violence after publication of Diddy, Cassie video
Two days after CNN published a hotel surveillance video from 2016 that appear to show music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs shoving, grabbing, dragging and kicking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, megachurch pastors T.D. Jakes and Jamal Bryant spoke out against domestic violence in their sermons Sunday.
Bryant, who leads New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, called the video "brutal" and said Combs deserves to not just be "in jail" for what he witnessed but "under the jail" in his sermon Sunday.
"Let me be the first one to say on record that P Diddy belongs in jail. Not just in jail, under the jail," Bryant said. "And any person who feels comfortable abusing our women, let me go a step further, and abusing our children, needs to be held accountable on that wise."
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Bryant also shared information on the National Domestic Violence hotline with the members of his church, including men, who he says are also abused in relationships. He apologized to the women who have been encouraged by the Church to stay in relationships even when they are being abused.
"Let me first say to those of you who have been victims of domestic violence, let me first apologize that the Body of Christ has not been more forthright in covering you and protecting you and being a beacon light of security for you," Bryant said, noting that the Church has been silent on domestic violence even as abuse happens among couples of the faith.
"Let me say to you that we believe that God is a god of transformation. Our responsibility is not just to cover the victims but to transform the abusers. Because what we don't want to talk about, it is not just the victims of domestic violence who are in church, but the perpetuators of domestic violence go in the church. And they need to be transformed and held accountable and responsible," Bryant argued. "As your pastor, I'm going to pray for him and call the police."
While condemning domestic violence, Jakes, who has been publicly tied to Combs, did not directly name but reportedly referenced a video he watched on social media on his way to church on Sunday, according to The Shade Room.
"When I saw the images that have been floating over the news all week, it became difficult to watch the atrocious, degrading, demeaning, debauchery. I know who it was, but I saw my daughters," he said, as seen in a clip of the sermon shared by The Shade Room.
"As a man, I saw my daughters, and it made me angry. … And I thought if it affected me like that as a man, how much more is that image a trigger for women who have been through that, who are currently going through that … and feel trapped in situations where you are being physically and emotionally and verbally abused?"
In a statement published on Instagram to her more than 10 million followers, Ventura expressed gratitude for the love and support she has received.
"Thank you for all the love and support from my family, friends, strangers, and those I have yet to meet," she wrote. "The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning. Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today but I will always be recovering from my past."
"Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to take this matter seriously. My only ask is that EVERYONE open your heart to believing victims the first time. It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in. I offer my hand to those that are still living in fear. Reach out to your people, don't cut them off. No one should carry this weight alone."
Combs has since apologized for his behavior.
"My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video," he said in a video on Instagram.
"I was disgusted then when I did it. I'm disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab," he added. "I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I'm so sorry. But I'm committed to be a better man each and every day. I'm not asking for forgiveness. I'm truly sorry."
In March, the relationship between Jakes and Combs came under renewed public scrutiny following raids on two of Combs' homes by federal agents and a recent lawsuit filed by Christian music producer Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones alleging a slew of sex, gun and drug crimes.
In his 98-page lawsuit filed in U.S District Court for the Southern District of New York, Jones alleged that he was sexually harassed, drugged and threatened by Combs while he lived and worked with Combs from September 2022 to November 2023.
Jones claims he recorded hours of video and audio of Combs, his staff and others "engaging in serious illegal activity," including drug use, shootings and sex crimes.
Among the recordings he allegedly made, Jones lists one of "Combs detailing how he planned to leverage his relationship with Bishop T.D. Jakes to soften the impact on his public image of Cassie Ventura's lawsuit."
In her lawsuit settled last November, Ventura accused Combs of rape and repeated physical abuse over nearly a decade, and allegedly shared a USB device containing recordings of Diddy's alleged "sex parties," where he reportedly hosted several powerful people, including Jakes.
Reacting to the unverified report about the nature of his relationship with Combs last Christmas Eve, Jakes called his accusers "liars" and noted that even "if everything was true, all I got to do is repent sincerely from my heart."
"The worst that could happen, if everything was true, all I got to do is repent sincerely, from my heart. There's enough power in the blood to cover all kinds of sin. I don't care what it is, the blood would fix it. But I ain't got to repent about this," Jakes declared.
"All I got to do is step over top of it and keep on going on. I'm not in trouble. I'm talking about the power of the blood. Amen. Thank you, Jesus. I have used it, and I will use it again. But I ain't gotta use it for that. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Whenever I need it, it's available to me. And it's available to you. And you can have it when you need it. But you don't have to plead the blood if you didn't do the crime."
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