The children of model Kim Porter and mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs are slamming an alleged memoir attributed to their late mother that describes Combs engaging in explicit sexual escapades with celebrities and includes allegations of abuse against Porter, who died in 2018.
Recently, Jamal T. Millwood published “Kim’s Lost Words: A Journey for Justice, from the Other Side…” on Amazon for Kimberly A. Porter. Millwood was later revealed to be author and investigative journalist Chris Todd, who, under his pseudonym, claimed in the book’s foreword that one of Porter’s dying wishes was for “this memoir/diary to be made public.” But even he was skeptical about the authenticity of the purported entries (more on that later).
In a joint statement posted Tuesday on Instagram, Porter’s four children said they felt compelled to speak out after seeing the “many hurtful and false rumors” about their parents and their parents’ relationship.
“The claims that our mother wrote a book are simply false. She did not do it,” said Porter’s children: Quincy, 33, whom she had with musician Al B. Sure!; Combs’ son Christian, 26; and twin daughters Jessie and D’Lila, 17.
“And anyone who claims to have a manuscript is giving the wrong impression,” they said. “Also, please understand that any so-called ‘friend’ speaking on behalf of our mother or her family is not a friend. Nor does he or she have her best interests at heart.”
Combs’ attorney, Erica Wolf, has also called the book “false,” “offensive” and “a blatant attempt to profit from the tragedy.” Porter’s family is “exploring” the possibility of legal action, according to People.
The book, whose 58-page sample is riddled with typos and other issues, rose to No. 1 on the platform’s Literature & Fiction list this week, People and Rolling Stone reported, after Combs was charged last week with sex trafficking, racketeering and prostitution-related charges. As of Wednesday morning, it was No. 7 on the platform’s list of the 20 best-selling and most-read books of the week.
By the way, the author’s pseudonym has its own lore: Conspiracy theorists believe Jamal T. Millwood is an alias used by slain rapper Tupac Shakur, who was signed to Death Row Records, a rival of Combs’ Bad Boy Records, and who is also named in the book. Shakur was murdered in 1996, and some believe Diddy was linked to the shooting death even though another man was charged with the killing last year. Combs has vehemently denied involvement.
But, as Rolling Stone reported Tuesday, the book was self-published by Todd Christopher Guzze, aka Chris Todd. Todd told the outlet he is a producer, author and investigative journalist who was given the purported memoir by two people who said they were close to Porter and Combs, after Combs' ex, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, sued him in November. He also said he can't be sure if what's written in the source material is true.
“If someone were to challenge me and say, ‘Is that book true, life or death?’ I have to say I don’t know, but to me it’s pretty real,” the author said. “Sometimes you have to say it outright. It may not be 100% true in the book, but maybe 80% true. That’s for those people to come forward and corroborate or deny what they say.” [the claims]and that helps me as a researcher to know the truth.”
Porter's best friends, Kimora Lee Simmons and Lawanda Lane, told Rolling Stone that they don't know the author and that “every page in that book is fake.” They also seemed to cast doubt on whether Porter was working on an autobiography before she died, saying she was “extremely private.”
In their statement, Combs and Porter’s children did not address the growing scrutiny surrounding their father since the March raids on the hip-hop mogul’s homes and last week’s federal indictment. (Combs, who remains in custody in a New York jail, has pleaded not guilty to the charges; his lawyer has described him as innocent.) Instead, the children reflected on their mother’s death and sought to quell speculation surrounding her, such as allegations made in the book’s foreword of foul play and poisoning.
Porter, who dated Combs on and off for about 13 years, died in November 2018 after she was found unresponsive at her San Fernando Valley residence. Following an autopsy, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner announced in January 2019 that the 47-year-old's cause of death was due to lobar pneumonia and that her manner of death was certified as natural.
“Our lives were shattered when we lost our mother. She was our world and nothing has been the same since she passed away. While it has been incredibly difficult to accept that she was taken from us so soon, the cause of her death has long been established. There was no foul play. Grief is a lifelong process and we ask that everyone respect our plea for peace as we continue to deal with her loss every day,” they said.
“We are deeply saddened that the world has made a spectacle of what was the most tragic event of our lives. Our mother should be remembered for the beautiful, strong, kind and loving woman she was. Her memory should not be tarnished by horrific conspiracy theories,” the statement continued.
The children asked their followers to respect their mother and “hold her legacy in high regard so that she can rest in peace.”
However, in the wake of Combs' arrest, numerous questions have been raised about him and anyone connected to him. Last week, Quincy's father, Al B. Sure! (who is profiled in the book), called for the investigation into Porter's death to be reopened and summed up “Kim's Lost Words” as “calculated fiction.”
“Unfortunately, Kimberlina was taken from us a long time ago. [too] “Soon and before she could complete her true thoughts prior to this unauthorized FAKE EDIT posted on AMAZON, the disappearance of her computer and vital evidence raises many more questions,” the R&B hitmaker wrote in a series of Instagram posts, making additional allegations about Combs.
“It is clear that her potential to expose the realities of her personal abuse, her drugging, the sex trafficking and human trafficking she witnessed, similar to the courageous actions of Ms. Cassie Ventura, posed a threat to those who profited from such heinous activities,” she wrote. “Simply put, Kimberly was supposedly taken from us because she had been put on a path to accomplish what Ms. Cassie Ventura did by [igniting] The bonfire [sic] Which brings us here today with the avalanche that Satin has brought [sic] “to his chambers.”
After numerous lawsuits were filed against Combs since Ventura catalyzed his public downfall in November, Combs' former bodyguard alleged in an interview in May that the disgraced music producer was repeatedly “physical” with both Ventura and Porter.
