A former staff member of Jennifer Lopez has come to her defense amid speculation surrounding her knowledge of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ alleged crimes during their relationship.
Thea de Souza, who worked in development for Lopez in the early 2000s, took to social media to set the record straight.
“If you knew Jennifer Lopez, if you ever worked with her like I did, or if you were close with people who are like family to her like I am, you would know she did not have any idea about Diddy,” de Souza wrote on Threads.
The Atlas star dated Diddy from 1999 to 2001, and recent allegations against the rapper have raised questions about whether she was aware of his actions. However, de Souza insists that Lopez was oblivious.
“She barely drinks, she is not a partier, she isn’t a good time girl, she is a workaholic who uplifts women and who was charmed by him for a brief time in her life,” de Souza continued.
She concluded her post by stating that Lopez “does not deserve to be conflated with [Diddy’s] shocking and criminal misdeeds.”
The singer-actress has previously spoken about her tumultuous relationship with Diddy, describing it as “emotionally exhausting.”
In a past interview, she recalled, “We broke up many times before that, and got back together and broke up again, and nobody knew about it. It was very tempestuous. Towards the end, it was emotionally exhausting. It was good that I was young.”
Diddy has denied all allegations, including sexual assault of a minor, through his legal team.
The statement read, “Mr Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts, their legal defenses, and the integrity of the judicial process. In court, the truth will prevail that Mr Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone – adult or minor, man or woman.”
As Diddy awaits trial, Lopez has recently split from actor Ben Affleck. The rapper spent his latest birthday behind bars.
