Netflix has a new chart-topping sensation — and it isn’t Stranger Things. Instead, it’s Sean Combs: The Reckoning, the explosive four-part documentary examining the rise and downfall of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. Executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and director Alexandria Stapleton are at the center of the cultural firestorm, watching the series climb to No. 1 while igniting fierce debate online.
50 Cent, never one to undersell, says he saw this coming.
“I expected it to be No. 1,” he declares. “I told Alex in advance that she should prepare an awards speech… I could feel it was going to be a big success. But when it comes in over Stranger Things, I didn’t anticipate that much success because that’s a big franchise.” Watch the full video interview above.
Stapleton laughs at his confidence. “I did not believe that it was going to be this crazy,” she admits. “He’s been the biggest champion of it.”
Their confidence paid off: The Reckoning has become one of Netflix’s most-watched and most-discussed nonfiction titles of the year, thanks to its blend of music history, abuse allegations, cultural critique, and never-before-seen footage shot in the days leading up to Combs’ 2024 arrest.
“I’ll wear that”: 50 Cent on being called “petty”
Among the loudest reactions online are accusations that 50 Cent’s involvement is “petty,” a continuation of his decades-long rivalry with Diddy. Rather than dodge the criticism, he leans right in.
“I accept that. I’ll take that. I’ll wear that,” he says with a smirk. “I’m fine. I have antics that I’ve become comfortable with on social media. That’s just that.”
But he draws a line when it comes to the idea that the series is unfairly attacking Combs.
“They did characterize it as a hit piece in the very beginning,” he says. “It’s because they didn’t get a chance to watch it when they were saying that. And then after they see it, you see everyone’s changed their mind and it becomes the number one doc.”
Why hip-hop stayed silent for so long
One of the central questions viewers have asked is why so few people in Combs’ orbit — especially high-profile musicians — have spoken publicly about the allegations.
50 Cent doesn’t mince words: “It’s a part of the hip-hop culture,” he says. “They think that they are telling something — that you should just mind your business. If I wasn’t saying the things that you heard me say, there would be nothing being said at all. You would assume that the culture [condones] those behaviors.”
Stapleton says the silence was rooted not just in loyalty, but in fear.
“We started this before there was an indictment,” she explains. “People were really afraid… It wasn’t obvious he was going to be indicted. It wasn’t obvious he was going to have to go to jail.”
She says paranoia ruled the industry in those early conversations. “Even talking to me or talking to 50,” she says, “people were paranoid that it could get back to Diddy and his team.”
Fans frequently ask why certain well-known figures didn’t appear on camera. Stapleton’s answer is simple: the team asked.
“If you’re watching this and there’s a lot of names on social media — ‘Where is this person?’ — you can probably just assume that we reached out,” she says. “They either declined or never got back to us.”
‘Sean Combs: The Reckoning’Netflix
Gaining trust
The documentary includes deeply personal interviews from former Bad Boy artists, employees, associates, and alleged victims. According to 50 Cent, Stapleton was the key to earning their trust.
“Alex did that,” he says. “Her communication… made them more comfortable. A lot of times, I wouldn’t get into details with them until she had communicated with them. You don’t know what fits or how she wants to tell a story.”
Stapleton says the conversations ran far deeper than what made it into the finished doc.
“We had a lot of conversations,” she explains. “There’s a lot that’s not in the series… At the end of the day, we only have four hours.”
Even so, what is included paints a devastating portrait — especially moments like Aubrey O’Day confronting an allegation about herself she didn’t even remember.
“For someone like Aubrey to be so honest… to say, ‘I don’t even know how to feel right now,’ and not be performative — that was powerful,” Stapleton says.
Aubrey O’Day in ‘Sean Combs: The Reckoning’Netflix
Inside the juror backlash: “This is how our legal system works”
Two jurors from Combs’ federal case appear in the documentary, offering rare insight into their deliberations. Their comments, however, have drawn intense criticism.
“I know the interviews are not sitting so well with a lot of people,” Stapleton acknowledges. “But our job was to show how the legal system works in matters of sexual assault — and how complicated it is.”
One juror stunned viewers by saying she believed Combs “could be violent,” but that wasn’t part of the charges.
“On a technicality, she is correct,” Stapleton says. “Coercion becomes very nebulous… We were presenting our legal system at play and how it worked out.”
Tracing the rise and fall: music, power, and contradictions
The Reckoning also dives into Combs’ musical legacy, the East Coast–West Coast rivalry, and the lingering questions around the deaths of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.
“I have a record — I rapped about that in 2006,” 50 says. “There’s a difference between what they’ll say to each other and what they’d say publicly. At this point it’s common knowledge. It was okay to explore those areas.”
Stapleton emphasizes the importance of grounding explosive allegations in documented evidence.
“With Duane ‘Keefe D’ Davis, he is telling you the story of Tupac,” she notes. “It’s him telling the story of all of these meetings that he had with Diddy from his perspective. It felt very important to let those tapes play because they’re from law enforcement. He’s currently incarcerated awaiting trial for that murder. That’s what we are presenting — not our own conclusions.”
One of her biggest takeaways? The clarity of the timeline.
“Sometimes there’s nothing better than a great timeline when you’re making a doc,” she says. “To show what was happening behind closed doors versus what he was projecting to the world — it’s jaw-dropping.”
Awards, success, and what’s next
When discussing the massive success of his Power franchise and the numerous documentaries he’s produced, 50 Cent has a theory about why he hasn’t been part of the mainstream awards conversation — despite already holding an Emmy as part of “The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show.”
“They haven’t seen me on a global platform outdoing Stranger Things,” he says. “They’ll be around this time.”
