A federal judge has ordered Sean “Diddy” Combs to pay nearly $500,000 in legal fees to NBCUniversal following the dismissal of his massive defamation lawsuit against the media company.

According to court filings, Judge Phaedra F. Perry-Bond ruled on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, that Combs must pay $477,700.50 to cover attorneys’ fees incurred by NBC. The decision stems from a civil complaint Combs filed in early 2025 against NBC and streaming service Peacock, seeking $100 million in damages over the documentary Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy.

In his original lawsuit, Combs argued that the program defamed him by advancing unsubstantiated conspiracy theories and alleging that he was involved in serious criminal acts, including insinuations surrounding the death of his former partner Kim Porter. Following the court’s decision to dismiss the lawsuit earlier this year, NBCUniversal requested nearly $1 million in legal fees from Combs. However, the court ultimately slashed that demand by more than $512,000, concluding that a substantial portion of the requested fees was excessive.

Combs is currently serving a 50-month prison sentence at FCI Fort Dix, a low-security federal correctional facility in New Jersey, following his conviction on two federal counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. His current projected release date is set for March 2028.

Source: Compiled from various sources.