Former talk show host Montel Williams has spoken out after a doctored photo surfaced online, falsely portraying Vice President Kamala Harris with rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The rapper has recently been charged with sex trafficking and racketeering.
The altered image has been circulating on right-wing social media, with claims that Harris was linked to Combs, despite no evidence of any personal connection between the two.
The original, unedited photo from 2001 actually shows Harris with Williams, whom she briefly dated in the early 2000s, and his daughter at an event in California to raise money for multiple sclerosis research.
Responding to the false narrative, Williams tweeted:
“Here they go again with ‘all black people look alike…’” pointing out the racial stereotyping underlying the misinformation.
Doctored image below:
Below is the actual photo:
The doctored version of the image surfaced after Combs was arrested in New York on Tuesday for alleged sex trafficking and racketeering, with accusations involving the organization of so-called “Freak Offs” — days-long orgies involving male prostitutes. Combs has denied the charges.
One misleading social media post featured the photoshopped image with the caption:
“The Diddy Client List goes all the way to the top.”
The widespread sharing of the manipulated photo has added to concerns about the spread of misinformation and digital manipulation during the ongoing U.S. presidential race.
While Harris and Combs do not appear to have a personal relationship, they have crossed paths professionally.
In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, both Harris and Combs participated in a virtual town hall alongside New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The event focused on the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on Black Americans.
At the time, Harris, who was a senator for California, praised Combs for highlighting issues of racial inequality and health disparities.
The incident is another example of online disinformation being weaponized to distort public perception during political campaigns.
Earlier in the race, former President Donald Trump shared a fake AI-generated image of pop star Taylor Swift endorsing him, despite Swift having voiced support for Harris.
