Sean “Diddy” Combs is facing another round of drama behind bars, but this time, the allegations come with something previous reports did not have: video that reportedly shows him using a cellphone inside federal prison.
Footage obtained by NBC News appears to show Combs using a cellphone while incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix in New Jersey. NBC reported that possession of such a device is prohibited for federal inmates.
That visual could make the latest Diddy prison contraband story harder to dismiss as simply another anonymous claim. While questions remain about who supplied the device, how long Combs allegedly had access to it, and whether prison officials have taken disciplinary action, the footage places a phone directly at the center of the latest reporting about his life behind bars.
NBC News reported that it interviewed four men who spent time with Combs at Fort Dix. According to the outlet, those former or current inmates alleged that Combs had access to a cellphone as well as a modified tablet. Sources also claimed he paid other inmates thousands of dollars to perform tasks for him, including cooking and cleaning.
ANBC’s reporting also alleged that Combs used the cellphone to access Instagram and receive explicit photographs. The report further alleged that alcohol was available to him inside the facility.
Combs’ spokesperson Juda Engelmayer pushed back against the broader characterization of the reports. In a statement, Engelmayer said, “The continued scrutiny of every mundane detail of Sean Combs’s life in prison has reached the point where the media characterizes ordinary prison life as news.”
Engelmayer added that Combs “continues to serve his sentence within the rules” while waiting for a decision in his appeal.
The allegations are notable because this is not the first time questions about prohibited activity have followed Combs during his incarceration at Fort Dix.
Shortly after he arrived at the New Jersey facility in October 2025, Combs was accused of drinking homemade alcohol inside the prison. A November 2025 report alleged that the drink was created by fermenting ingredients including Fanta, sugar, and apples.
Combs’ team strongly denied that account. His representatives called reports that he had been caught with alcohol “completely false” and said his focus was on improving himself and eventually returning to his family.
Another controversy emerged around his telephone privileges.
Combs allegedly made a three-person phone call on November 3, 2025, shortly after arriving at Fort Dix. Bureau of Prisons rules prohibit inmates from adding unauthorized participants to prison calls.
CBS News reported that prison officials recommended Combs lose 90 days of phone privileges and 90 days of commissary privileges because of the call. Combs told officials he had not been informed of the rule and had not received the facility’s admission and orientation handbook.
Engelmayer disputed the suggestion that Combs intentionally broke prison rules, telling CBS that the conversation was initiated by an attorney and involved attorney-client communications.
Taken together, the previous alcohol allegation, the documented dispute over a prison phone call, and the latest footage involving an alleged cellphone have created a recurring storyline around Diddy prison contraband claims.
The newest reporting goes considerably further than those earlier incidents. Combs allegedly had access not only to a cellphone but also to alcohol and a modified tablet capable of providing entertainment beyond what would normally be available through approved prison systems. Other inmates allegedly handled personal tasks for him.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons did not confirm the specific allegations against Combs. The agency said it takes efforts to prevent contraband seriously but would not discuss the details of an individual inmate’s circumstances.
Combs, 56, is serving a 50-month federal sentence after a jury convicted him in July 2025 on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges.
His projected release date has changed several times since sentencing. According to Bureau of Prisons records reported on September 29, his projected release date was listed as January 21, 2028. The Bureau of Prisons notes that projected release dates can change as federal sentences are recalculated and credits are applied.
Combs is also challenging his convictions through the appeals process.
For Combs’ team, the latest headlines represent excessive attention being paid to his daily prison life. But the cellphone footage gives the latest Diddy prison contraband allegations a different dimension. Previous claims about alcohol largely depended on sources and were denied outright. The disputed three-person call was documented in prison records. Now, NBC says video shows Combs himself handling a cellphone inside Fort Dix, putting renewed attention on what he allegedly has access to and how prohibited items could be circulating inside the federal facility.
