Photo of burned Ohio mansion falsely linked to Diddy amidst 2025 fires | Fact check
The claim: Image shows Sean 'Diddy' Combs' mansion destroyed by 2025 California fires
A Jan. 10 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows an aerial view of a mansion burning down.
"P Diddy's California mansion has been completely consumed by fire," reads text within the post. "It should be noted that the House would enter into investigation in a couple of days where many names would be involved in the case, unfortunately that will no longer be possible (sic)."
The post garnered more than 12,000 likes in four days. Other versions of the claim were shared on Facebook and X.
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Our rating: False
The picture doesn't show Sean "Diddy" Combs' mansion. It shows a home destroyed by a fire outside of Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2014.
Dated Ohio photo falsely linked to 'Diddy'
Wildfires ravaging parts of the Greater Los Angeles area have killed at least 25 people and destroyed more than 12,000 homes, businesses and other structures as of Jan. 15. Many celebrities are among those who have lost their houses in the blaze, including former reality star Paris Hilton and actor Heidi Montag.
But the image in the post doesn't show the destroyed home of music producer and rapper Combs, who was arrested on Sept. 16, 2024, on federal charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The photo was published in a Cincinnati Enquirer article in 2014 and shows a $4 million home burning down in Indian Hill, Ohio, according to the picture's caption. The outlet reported that no one was injured in the fire. The article includes nine total photos of the home from different angles during and after the blaze.
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The Ohio mansion's appearance in the post doesn't match that of Combs' Los Angeles home, according to photos published by Getty Images. There are also no credible reports that Combs' home was affected by the ongoing wildfires in California. The Holmby Hills mansion in West LA has, as of Jan. 15, been outside of the wildfires' reach.
Paste BN reported in March 2024 that federal officials raided the music producer's Miami and Los Angeles homes as part of the federal sex trafficking investigation. Combs appeared at a pretrial hearing in December 2024, and his trial is set to begin on May 5.
Combs has been hit with more than 120 additional sexual assault lawsuits since his September 2024 arrest, with some of the accusers alleging he sexually abused them when they were minors. The rapper has maintained his innocence. Paste BN reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Lead Stories and PolitiFact also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources
- Cincinnati Enquirer, Aug. 28, 2017, Indian Hill mansion fire
- Getty Images, March 25, 2024, Celebrity Sightings In Los Angeles – March 25, 2024
- Getty Images, March 25, 2024, Celebrity Sightings In Los Angeles – March 25, 2024
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