They say every picture tells a story. On November 7, TMZ posted a photo of Sean “Diddy” Combs at the Fort Dix Federal Correctional Institution in New Jersey. In the images, taken on October 31, the disgraced music mogul looks surprisingly at ease: Dressed in a gray sweatsuit, a matching beanie (and beard) and a blue jacket and black sneakers, he smiled and socialized in a circle of six men in the prison yard.
Combs was sentenced to 50 months in prison in early October following his July conviction on two counts of transportation for prostitution. (He was acquitted on the more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy following his eight-week trial, during which his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and a woman who testified under the pseudonym Jane claimed they were forced to participate in days-long, drug-fueled “freak offs.”)
The rapper, 56, was transferred from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to Fort Dix — a low-security facility that houses roughly 4,000 prisoners — on October 30. Combs, who’s still worth an estimated $400 million and owns homes in Miami, L.A. and NYC, now lives in dorm-room style lodgings with nine other men. And he’s already been put to work: his spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer, told Us Weekly on November 11 that Combs is currently on duty in the chapel library.
While his new digs may be an upgrade from the notoriously dangerous MDC (where he was incarcerated since his September 2024 arrest), it’s a far cry from his cushy, pre-prison life. “Someone may be powerful or rich on the outside,” says Bill Baroni, a Seton Hall Law School professor who spent three months in lockup, “but in prison, everyone is alike.”
It’s already been an eventful few weeks for Combs. He appears to be making friends — the TMZ photos show him chatting with former NBA star Sebastian Telfair (in prison for violating his probation over a healthcare fraud conviction), and it was reported some of his new pals baked him a cake with ingredients bought at the prison commissary for his November 4 birthday. “He’s met some nice people,” Engelmayer tells Us. “People have been kind to him.”
Combs had been accepted into a residential drug abuse program (RDAP). The program — which can be difficult to get into, especially so early on — could reduce his sentencing by up to one year. Inmates in RDAP reside in a unit away from the general population and spend a portion of the day in therapy. (As part of his sentencing, Combs was ordered to partake in mental health and substance abuse programs.)
INF/INSTAR Sean “Diddy” Combs had been under investigation for at least a year after being accused of sexual assault by multiple people. The rapper and music mogul made headlines in November 2023 after his ex-girlfriend Cassie accused him of sexual abuse in a bombshell lawsuit. She accused Diddy of beating her, forcing her to take […]
His new job in the chapel library is considered one of the more sought-after positions. “He finds it comforting and rewarding, and he gets to help other inmates out with their reading [and] their needs,” Engelmayer tells Us. Despite reports that Combs will work as the chaplain’s assistant, Engelmayer says “everyone assists the chaplain,” adding, “there’s no specific title.”
Combs will also be back in the classroom During his stint at MDC, the mogul taught a six-week entrepreneurship course called Free Game With Diddy. (In a rating of the class via a Bureau of Prisons work performance document shared with Us on November 11, a unit manager offered a rave review, writing: “Excellent class. Keep up the great work!”) Engelmayer tells Us the rapper will be teaching the course again at Fort Dix. “He’s just launching it now,” says Engelmayer, adding that the course will be “the same or very similar.” According to paperwork, the goal of the class is to “equip participants with essential skills in business management, entrepreneurship and personal development.” A class syllabus outlines sections, including “Successful People Do What Unsuccessful People Won’t Do,” “Time Waits for No Man” and a bonus class called “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop” — a nod to the hit 1998 song he was featured on.
It hasn’t been all smooth sailing. On November 7, TMZ claimed Combs had been caught making and consuming alcohol. Engelmayer called the allegations “completely false.” Three days later, CBS News reported that the Grammy winner violated prison rules by making a three-way call on November 3. Combs reportedly told prison officials he was having a conversation with his legal team about issuing a statement to The New York Times; it was recommended that he lose 90 days of phone and commissary privileges.
“[The call] was not initiated by Sean,” Engelmayer clarified to Us. “It was initiated by his lawyers. It was protected by attorney-client confidentiality.” He says he’s not been informed of Combs losing privileges — “The fact we still talk to him means he hasn’t lost any”— but on November 12, the rapper’s release date was pushed back by a month, from May 8, 2028, to June 4, 2028. A reason for the change was not available as of press time.
As he continues to make headlines in the outside world, Combs is settling into his day-to-day. Prisoners are woken up at 6 a.m. for breakfast (oatmeal or bran flakes), then take classes or work before lunch (baked fish and rice pilaf) at 1 p.m. Dinner (pasta with meatballs or chili) is at 5 p.m. followed by a few hours of recreation time. Prisoners must be at their bunks every day at 9 p.m. for a final count and return to their bunks to sleep by 11 p.m.
According to Tyler King, a former Fort Dix inmate and creator of the prison reform organization A Voice From Prison, “days are structured, but not meaningful. There are classes, books and limited programming, but not the rehabilitative environment the public imagines,” adds King, noting that tablets (which inmates pay for) have recently become available.
Sean “Diddy” Combs was transferred to Fort Dix prison in October 2025 to serve out his 50-month prison sentence. A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons confirmed on October 30, 2025, that Diddy was officially relocated to the New Jersey federal corrections institute from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, where he’d been […]
Boredom takes a toll. “Time is spent staring at TVs, pacing or staying glued to contraband phones. Working out and reading are lifelines,” says King. Baroni tells Us the hardest part of life in federal prison is “how slow time goes.” Engelmayer says the rapper mostly sticks to himself. “[Combs] said he walks and talks to God as he’s walking.”
Former inmates say the hip-hop icon’s celebrity status will only get him so far. The Real Housewives of New Jersey alum Joe Giudice, who spent 41 months at Fort Dix for fraud prior to his 2019 release, tells Us Combs’ fate “depends on how he carries himself. As long as he keeps a low profile and doesn’t try to act like a big shot, he’ll be fine.” Giudice observed violence over minor things during his prison stint. “I’ve seen people get stabbed over an onion. You ain’t in there with the most stable people.”
He also witnessed group sex during the early morning hours. “I got up at, like, three or four in the morning to go to the bathroom and you would see the craziest things in there, people you would never imagine,” he recalls. “[The guards] hear the shower going at night, and they just look the other way.”
Another former inmate who spent 17 months at Fort Dix between 2019 and 2020 says the living conditions leave much to be desired. “There’s one bathroom per floor with toilets and showers and everything is broken. A lot of the food is expired. It’s horrible. They don’t care,” he tells Us. “I was there a day and a half, and I [told a] kid [I just met], ‘This isn’t a jail, this is an insane asylum!’ and he agreed. It was a zoo.”
Baroni has a more positive take: “Diddy’s life will be so much easier where he is now. He’s going from one of the most severe prisons in America to a low-security [one].” Giudice adds that Combs will be able to pay for special services, like having his shoes shined and even security. “You can get your clothes tailored and chefs making food for you. That’s just how it is.”
Visits are “sacred and heavily policed,” says King. “You get one hug at the start and one at the end. Everything in between must be proper — too long of a hand hold and your visit ends.” Combs’ family has remained in his corner, though Engelmayer is unsure whether the mogul’s seven kids have gotten to see him at Fort Dix yet. (He’s dad to Quincy, 34, Justin, 31, King, 27, Chance, 19, and twins D’Lila and Jessie, 18, and Love, 2.) “We love you. We miss you,” Quincy captioned a birthday post on November 4. “Happy birthday to the best dad everrrr,” wrote D’Lila and Jessie on Instagram.
Sean “Diddy” Combs might get candy after all this Halloween. The disgraced mogul, 55, was transferred to the federal prison in Fort Dix, New Jersey, on Thursday, October 30, to serve out the remainder of his four-year sentence. According to the prison’s commissary list, obtained by Us Weekly, Diddy will have plenty of sweets to […]
The holidays can be particularly challenging — and unpredictable. “A special meal might come — or it might not,” says King. “Some years, visitation is allowed; other years, lockdowns and raids strip away that privilege. The hardest part is knowing your family gathers without you. It reminds you that the world keeps moving, even when yours stands still.” (This year’s Thanksgiving dinner menu offers deli meats or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; Christmas lunch includes a baked Cornish hen, mashed potatoes and fruit or a holiday dessert.)
With his June 4, 2028, release date, which includes the 13 months he spent at MDC and potential time off for good behavior, Combs still has a long time to go. “Best case scenario, [he’ll do] 22 to 24 months [minus] up to 6 months in a halfway house,” attorney Scott Rosenblum tells Us. On November 3, a U.S. Circuit Court judge granted Combs’ expedited appeal (arguments will be heard in April 2026). “Diddy has the best appellate team,” a source tells Us. “He’s in solid hands.”
Following Combs’ October 3 sentencing, victims expressed relief that he was not able to get away with time served. “While nothing can undo the trauma caused by Combs, the sentence imposed today recognizes the impact of the serious offenses he committed,” Ventura’s lawyer Douglas Wigdor told Us. Dawn Richard’s attorney, Arick Fudali, who represents the former Danity Kane singer in her civil suit against Combs, told CNN he appreciated “the judge’s focus on the victims and devastation Mr. Combs inflicted on their lives.”
In a pre-sentencing letter to Judge Arun Subramanian, Combs had vowed to make the best use of his days behind bars. “I’m on a journey that will take time and hard work,” he wrote. “I’m proud to say I’m working harder than I ever have before. I’m committed to the journey of remaining a drug-free, non-violent and peaceful person.” Engelmayer tells Us Combs remains focused on his recovery: “His goal is to get home to his family as soon as possible and to make the best of his time there and be the best version of himself.”
For more on Diddy’s life behind bars, watch the exclusive video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.
