Aubrey O’Day has opened up about immediately supporting Cassie after she accused her ex-boyfriend Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs of sexual abuse.
‘[I was] the first one who came out and stood for her,’ the 40-year-old singer told Us Weekly on Saturday. ‘It was a little too silent for my liking.’
In November, Cassie sued the rapper-turned-mogul, claiming he controlled and abused her for over a decade. Diddy vehemently denied all of the allegations before settling the lawsuit within a day.
At the time, O’Day took to social media to share a message of solidarity to Cassie.
‘I had it up within the first five minutes of seeing it because Cassie is a victim and she has an insane amount of bravery,’ O’Day told the outlet.
Aubrey O’Day opened up about immediately supporting Cassie after she accused her ex-boyfriend and music mogul Sean ‘ Diddy ‘ Combs of sexual abuse; (pictured 2018)
‘[I was] the first one who came out and stood for her,’ O’Day told Us Weekly on Saturday. ‘It was a little too silent for my liking’; (Cassie and Diddy in 2017)
The artist’s November Instagram post read: ‘Been trynna tell y’all for years. Prayers up for this queen @cassie.’
O’Day had been picked to be a part of Diddy’s girl group Danity Kane on 2005’s Making the Band, but she later asserted that he fired her because she ‘wasn’t willing to do what was expected of [her] — not talent-wise, but in other areas.’
She told Us Weekly: ‘There are so many stories that range from this side to this side, not everything looks the same.
‘Not every situation this man has been in looks the same, but hers truly broke through the wall. We don’t know why. This one broke through.’
She continued by expressing gratitude towards Cassie for sharing her story publicly.
‘Changes need to be made in the music industry and there needs to be a safe space for artists to evolve,’ O’Day added. ‘There needs to be a place where there’s never anyone that can put an obligation over your head or hold your career over your head in any capacity.’
In May, months after Cassie and Diddy resolved their legal dispute, a video from 2016 emerged, purportedly showing the rapper physically assaulting her.
Diddy issued an apology on social media, seemingly expressing remorse for his ‘inexcusable’ behavior, though he did not directly reference Cassie.
‘I had it up within the first five minutes of seeing it because Cassie is a victim and she has an insane amount of bravery,’ O’Day told the outlet; (pictured June)
O’Day showed support for her on Instagram and wrote: ‘Been trynna tell y’all for years. Prayers up for this queen @cassie’
At the time, O’Day took to social media to call out that Diddy ‘did not apologize to Cassie’ but ‘he apologized to the world for seeing what he did.’
‘He says he’s “disgusted [with] himself now, and he was disgusted [with] himself then,”‘ O’Day wrote.
‘But apparently he wasn’t disgusted enough [with] himself to not PIN this statement out calling [Cassie] a liar & denying all of it… Leave god and mercy out of this, they aren’t present here, and you know it.’
During her interview with Us Weekly, O’Day added of the apology video: ‘Anyone that’s even putting those types of statements out and about or in the air or even airing on that side, you look stupid. Stop it.’
‘Quote me on that. “You look stupid. Stop it. There are real victims. Everyone knows that.” You guys have now been shown a video.
‘If you think that’s the only time you’re going to see that, that’s for you to stay in your world of ignorance.’
O’Day also claimed in September that Diddy recently asked her and former Danity Kane bandmates to sign NDAs.
‘And me, as somebody that’s a girl’s girl, I hit everyone in my group and said, ‘Absolutely do not take this deal,’ O’Day said.
Aubrey noted that the embattled rap mogul ‘did not apologize to Cassie’ but ‘he apologized to the world for seeing what he did’
O’Day had been picked to be a part of Diddy’s girl group Danity Kane on 2005’s Making the Band, but she later asserted that he fired her because she ‘wasn’t willing to do what was expected of [her] — not talent-wise, but in other areas’ (pictured 2005)
Diddy, who also goes by the stage name Puff Daddy, is worth an estimated $1 billion after being one of the star figures in the commercialization of hip-hop in the 1990s.
He grew to be one of his generation’s most notable music producers – working with names such as Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige.
Diddy founded Bad Boy – his record label – which Cassie was signed to in 2006.
Cassie has since married Alex Fine and has two children with him.