Diddy admits only two people can call him by his real name — and one is a huge A-lister: "Nobody else..."
Throughout his career, Sean Combs has switched up his name several times, going from Puff Daddy to P. Diddy, then Puffy, and eventually just Diddy. In 2021, the controversial rapper even made ‘Love’ his official middle name, sharing a photo of his Florida driver’s license to confirm the change, as reported by Billboard. However, when it comes to his real name, Diddy made it clear that only two people have the privilege of calling him Sean—one of whom, unsurprisingly, is a fellow hip-hop star.
During an episode of Carpool Karaoke on 'The Late Late Show', Diddy addressed his many name changes while chatting with the host James Corden, as per Yahoo! Lifestyle. When Corden admitted, "I don't know what to call you," Diddy responded, "You could call me any of the approved names." Reflecting on his name changes, Diddy told Corden, "I was born Puffy. Okay, and then I became P Diddy. Then they called me Diddy because I was so pretty. And then Puff Daddy."
In case you need it, here's a handy guide and what you can and can't call @diddy. https://t.co/smS3YAFPNP pic.twitter.com/jlWVgVwpHd
— The Late Late Show with James Corden (@latelateshow) April 21, 2023
Diddy further shared that he became "who I am now," telling Corden, "I decided that I'm just going to go with the name Love." He then clarified, "Not Brother Love, just Love." After hearing the list of names, Corden remarked, "I can't help but notice that you've overlooked Sean." Diddy acknowledged that "Sean is typically used by, you know, my mother. I don't know when you're in trouble." Corden related, comparing it to when his own "mum calls [him] by [his] full name."
Diddy confirmed, "So that's not on the approved list," making it clear that Corden was not "approved" to use the name. Diddy then revealed that only one other person, besides his mother, is allowed to call him Sean, that is Jay-Z. "There’s only one person, and I call him Shawn. That's Jay-Z. We call each other Sean," he shared, before adding, "Nobody else could call me Sean. There's not a single person, outside of my mother, that should be calling me Sean."
James and @diddy channel their inner-Sinatra and take us to New York, New York!
— The Late Late Show with James Corden (@latelateshow) April 21, 2023
Full @Diddy #CarpoolKaraoke: https://t.co/smS3YAFPNP pic.twitter.com/aqnGwK4T7r
Talking about Diddy's frequent name changes, reports suggest that as a child, he was nicknamed Puff because he would "huff and puff" when angry, leading him to adopt the name Puff Daddy for his music career. He gained fame under this name as the founder of 'Bad Boy Records' but changed it in 2001 due to legal reasons. After being found not guilty on charges of gun possession and bribery, the musician decided to change his name to P Diddy, as per The Mirror. "No more Puff Daddy. The first week in June, we're going to have a name change ceremony. I'm not doing it as seriously as Prince; I just want something fresh. I'm rocking with just P Diddy now." he announced at the time.
He explained that the name came from his friend Biggie Smalls, real name Christopher George Latore Wallace, who had suggested it before his passing in 1996 at just 24 years old. However, four years later, Combs changed his name once again, dropping the 'P' and going by just Diddy, believing the letter was holding back his career. In 2017, Combs announced another name change, stating on Instagram, "I will not be answering to Puffy, Diddy, Puff Daddy, or any of my other monikers but Love or Brother Love." His last name change came in May 2022 when he told Ellen DeGeneres, "I decided that I’m just going to go with the name Diddy." He also added that Diddy is his nickname, while Love is his real name.
