How many names has Sean Combs had? From Puff to P Diddy
SEAN Combs' decades of stardom saw him undergo a number of transitional periods in his career.
Although name changes are no stranger to his fellow celebrity and rap music contemporaries, Diddy might be one of the stars who has gone through the most aliases.
How many names has Sean Combs had?
When Sean Combs rose to prominence in the mid-1990s, he was recognized as the hypeman behind hits by Mary J Blige, The Notorious BIG, Lil Kim, and Usher.
Around this time, the public referred to him by his then-stage name Puffy, which is his childhood nickname.
As Puffy, he became the face of Bad Boy Records and co-produced several hits with his creative team The Hitmen.
Puffy and The Hitmen crafted songs for Mariah Carey, TLC, Aretha Franklin, Faith Evans, and Boyz ll Men.
Read More on Sean Diddy Combs
Puff Daddy
By his own account, Combs considers 1995 the Puffy area and early 1996 the Puff Daddy era.
In the wake of his mainstream popularity as a hit song producer, Combs released his debut studio album No Way Out in July 1997.
The record spawned the hit singles I'll Be Missing You, It's All About the Benjamins, and the Billboard number-one Can't Nobody Hold Me Down.
The Puff Daddy era finished out with his second album Forever and the end of his high-profile relationship with Jennifer Lopez.
most read in celebrity
P Diddy
On March 28, 2001, the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy revealed that he was making a change to his stage name.
While referencing Purple Rain legend Prince and late friend The Notorious BIG, he said to : "No more Puff Daddy — the first week in June we're gonna have a name change ceremony.
"I'm not doing it as seriously as Prince but I just want something fresh.
"I'm rockin' with P Diddy now, my man Biggie gave me that name."
While going by P Diddy, the famed music star released only one album titled The Saga Continues.
He also appeared with Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton in the Oscar-winning drama Monster's Ball.
He ventured into television with the MTV reality series Making the Band.
This era concluded with his Vote or Die campaign, which he promoted during his performance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2004.
While billed as P Diddy, he discussed the importance of voting while he shared the stage with Janet Jackson, Jessica Simpson, Nelly, Kid Rock, and Justin Timberlake.
Diddy
On August 16, 2005, Combs stopped by for a chat with Matt Lauer and Katie Couric on The Today Show.
The artist formerly known as P Diddy shared that he was altering his stage name again.
He told the hosts: "Nobody knew what to call me. I'd notice that people were uncomfortable when I'd meet them for the first time and then they'd ask me what they should call me.
"I even started to get confused myself and when I would call someone on the telephone, it took me a long time to explain who I was. Too long."
The mogul added: "I felt the P was getting in between me and my fans. We had to simplify it.
"It was, you know, doing concerts and half the crowd saying, P Diddy, half the crowd chanting Diddy.
"Now everybody can just chant Diddy. One word. Five letters. Period."
Love
In November 2017, Diddy announced that he was altering his public persona yet again.
In a since-deleted Instagram post, he stated: "I’ve been praying on this and I know it’s risky because it could come off corny to some people, but I’ve decided to change my name again.
"I’m just not who I was before. I’m something different. So my new name is Love aka Brother Love.
"I will not be answering to Puffy, Diddy, Puff Daddy, or any of my other monikers but Love or Brother Love."
However, he followed this up with another announcement.
In May 2022, he sat down with Ellen DeGeneres and disclosed to the audience: "I feel it's very important that I clear that up.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
"I decided that I'm just going to go with the name Diddy. See, Diddy's my nickname. Love is my real name."
He clarified with viewers that although he legally changed his real name to Sean Love Combs, he had a change of heart and switched his stage name back to Diddy.