At Diddy's A-list 'white parties,' naked women were a staple — but that didn't seem to raise eyebrows at the time

• Sean "Diddy" Combs' "white parties" were known for extravagance and celebrity attendance.
• The famed parties held throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s also regularly featured nude women.

Endless Champagne, celebrities galore, and naked women hanging out in the sprawling pool.

This was a common sight at Sean "Diddy" Combs' famed annual "white parties" throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, said a veteran celebrity photographer who attended at least five of the bashes hosted by the now indicted hip-hop mogul.

"His parties were always over the top — the best food, the best drinks," Selma Fonseca, who has made a career out of photographing and writing about the rich and famous, told Business Insider.

It was not unusual to find nude women at Combs' soirees, the photojournalist said.

At the time, though, Fonseca said, that was pretty typical at elite affairs, especially in ritzy locales like the Hamptons, where the "I'll Be Missing You" rapper held many of his summertime white parties.

"It's the summer, and people are at the white party with Diddy, and I guess, you know, they get naked in the pool," Fonseca said.

"They were beautiful," she said, "but I'm not sure if they were getting paid to entertain people or if they were guests."

Combs' lavish shindigs, held mostly at the East Hampton, New York, mansion he owned at the time or in Beverly Hills, are now being looked at in a new light after the entrepreneur was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury last month on federal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation for the purposes of prostitution.

Combs, 54, has vehemently denied the charges, as well as any sexual-misconduct accusations that have been lodged against him in civil lawsuits.

At least three civil lawsuits against Combs focus on the rapper's white parties. In one, Adria English, a former adult-film actor, alleges she was forced to have sex with guests at the white parties, while another alleges that a then-16-year-old boy was molested by Combs at his 1998 white party. In another lawsuit, a man alleges he was drugged and sexually assaulted by Combs while working as a security guard at the music mogul's 2006 white party.

Fonseca, who said she'd attended and photographed as many as 30 events where Combs was also present, can't speak to what may have happened behind closed doors on the nights of the parties but said nude women were a common occurrence at high-profile events during her two-decade career.

The nudity alone didn't raise concerns at the time, she said, adding that it was a common site when she photographed A-list parties in the Hamptons.

"Especially at that time when there was no social media," she said. "It's not like people are taking pictures and posting them on Instagram."

David Allen, another celebrity photographer who attended Combs' 1999 white party in the Hamptons, told BI he remembered seeing topless women "in and around" Combs' in-ground pool.

"But to me, it wasn't a big deal," Allen said.

Attorneys for Combs did not respond to a request for comment for this story, but a Combs spokesperson previously called the white parties "a true convergence of hip-hop, Hollywood, and Black excellence."

"It's disappointing to see the media and social commentators twist these cultural moments into something they were not," the spokesperson said.

In response to the recent barrage of lawsuits against Combs, his attorneys said in a statement: "In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone—adult or minor, man or woman."

At one white party, bikini-clad women swung

Combs' white parties had a reputation for being ultraextravagant events that attracted A-list celebrities across the worlds of music, movies, and sports.

Federal prosecutors have alleged that behind the scenes, Combs was holding a much more nefarious type of party — drug-fueled sex sessions called "freak-offs" where they say Combs "used force, threats of force, and coercion" to get female victims to engage in sex acts with male commercial sex workers.

The indictment said these freak-offs were "elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded."

For decades, prosecutors allege, Combs "abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct."

Aside from naked women, Fonseca told BI that she never saw anything that raised red flags at Combs' parties that she attended.

Business Insider has seen dozens of the photographs and videos taken by Fonseca at white parties.

"I never saw people having sex, like intercourse, but people do make out," she said. "They're making out on the couch and maybe touch a little."

At Combs' 2009 Beverly Hills white party, Fonseca recalled women clad in bikinis on swings that were suspended above a vast pool. At one point, a white-sunglasses-wearing Ashton Kutcher also swung across the pool.

Combs "had girls in the swings, in a bathing suit swinging back and forth, and just people like sexy girls swimming," Fonseca said, adding: "There's always sexy girls around when there is rich people, celebrities. That's just the way it is."

Combs was always dancing, drinking, and posing for pictures, photog says

Fonseca, who has authored two photo books, including "Partying With Selma: Inside the Life of Rock Stars," said she never went inside the house at any of Combs' parties.

"There was bodyguards at the door to get inside of the house, so you had to be invited or a celeb, I guess," Fonseca said, adding that Combs' Hamptons home was full of large windows, "so everyone could see what was happening in the living room from the outside."

She described the events as "well organized," with Combs' expansive backyard transformed into something like a giant living room filled with couches and pillows.

There was exceptional service, an extensive array of foods like salmon, steak, and corn, fire-spitting entertainers, and "celebs everywhere," the photographer said.

Fonseca recalled seeing stars like Busta Rhymes, Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Simmons, Tyson Beckford, Tommy Lee, Mariah Carey, Lindsay Lohan, Lil' Kim, Mary J. Blige, Russell Brand, and Chris Brown at Combs' extravaganzas over the years.

"I think that's why his parties were so popular besides the food and drink and everything," Fonseca said. "If you want to meet someone, or if you want to do business with someone, it was a way to meet the celebs."

The celebrities have been photographed at Combs' white parties over the years but have not been accused of wrongdoing.

A representative for Beckford confirmed he attended one white party, but "remained outdoors where the festivities were held." Representatives for the other celebrities seen by Fonseca didn't immediately return requests for comment from BI.

Fonseca — who captured a photo of Combs and Jennifer Lopez kissing on the balcony early on in their then-relationship at the 1999 party — said she remembered Combs "always walking around, dancing, drinking Champagne, talking to people, posing for photos, having fun always."

Allen said Combs was a "regular, normal gentleman."

"What I saw was a regular party with a white theme, with people doing their own thing all around," he said. "Some were smoking pot, keeping it semihidden. Others were around and in the pool being served Champagne, some topless."

At one white party, Combs issued a warning to guests from atop his balcony about children needing to leave the event.

"I think I made my point clear, so if child welfare come in here in 30 minutes — that's on y'all," he said into a microphone, according to a video viewed by BI. "My kids are downstairs. Fifteen minutes, the kids have to go, thank you very much."

Fonseca said that it was common knowledge for those in attendance that once it got darker, kids would leave the party, so it was "more like an adult party."

While giving tips for what makes a good party during a now resurfaced 2002 appearance on Conan O'Brien's late-night show at the time, Combs said locks on the doors were a must.

"This is what you need to do," Combs told O'Brien before saying a party needed "beautiful women" and "beautiful men for the ladies."

"We need alcohols," Combs added. "You need some water."

"A lot of ladies drink water at parties, so if you don't have what they need, they're going to leave. Got to keep them there. You need locks on the doors," Combs said, adding, "It's a little kinky."