Sean Combs Once Gave His Mom a Million Dollar Check and a Bentley for Her Birthday

Sean "Diddy" Combs was born in Harlem but was raised in Mount Vernon, N.Y., which is 25 minutes from Manhattan. This highly segregated area saw a rise in its Black population following World War II, reported Time Magazine. In the 1970s, when Combs and his family lived there, the city had an integrated high school but was refusing to allow Black children to attend one of the 11 elementary schools in the district. It was not easy.

Diddy's mother Janice Combs was a teacher's assistant, which means she might have taught at one of these elementary schools. His father Melvin was a former member of the U.S. Air Force, who turned to drug trafficking alongside infamous gangster Frank Lucas. In 1972, Melvin was fatally shot in his car, which further pushed the Combs family into poverty. It would be decades before Diddy was successful enough to help out. What is Janice Combs's net worth now? Here's what we know.

Although Janice's net worth has never been publicly reported, we do know she has at least $1 million and the value of a 2020 Bentley. In December 2020, Complex reported that Diddy gave his mom an impressive check for $1 million to celebrate her 80th birthday. The music mogul also gave her a brand new Bentley, which could cost anywhere between $200,000 and $300,000 depending on the make and model.

Five years after that big birthday, Janice found herself in some legal hot water of her own, per Rolling Stone. The Combs matriarch is being sued by Bad Boy Records co-founding partner Kirk Burrowes, who alleges Janice "secretly and unlawfully assumed control of his 25 percent ownership stake in the record label after her son allegedly coerced Burrowes into signing over his share under threat of physical violence."

In the 53-page filing obtained by Rolling Stone, Burrowes claims Janice "carefully maintained a facade of integrity, portraying herself as an innocent bystander while orchestrating the plaintiff’s financial and professional downfall behind the scenes." Burrowes alleges that in May 1996, Combs threatened him with a baseball bat so that the co-founder would forfeit his ownership rights. For years Janice told Burrowes she had no knowledge of this altercation, but he doesn't believe that's the case.

Diddy's net worth was at one time estimated to be somewhere around $740 million. That has since dropped down to $400 million after the rapper lost his deal with the alcoholic beverage company Diageo. He is also involved in several civil lawsuits and is undoubtedly paying his legal team a ton of money to represent him in his sex trafficking trial. If Diddy is convicted, the government could seize some of his assets.

Back in October 2024, In Touch reported that Janice and Diddy's son Christian Combs were fighting over what was left of the rapper's $400 million empire. An unnamed source told the outlet that Janice "thinks she’s the best person to step in," but Christian is "determined to take the reins." They likened the situation to a real-life Godfather brawl.