"She is what TMZ is for hip-hop" — DJ Akademiks credits Wendy Williams with knowing about Diddy's controversies before anyone else

DJ Akademiks credited former TV personality Wendy Williams with knowing about Sean "Diddy" Combs' controversies years before his arrest in 2024. Combs is currently on trial for five federal charges of s*x trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation to engage in pr*stitution. Many witnesses, including his ex-girlfriend Cassandra "Cassie" Ventura, his former assistant David James, and Dawn Richards are testifying against him.

During his May 19 Rumble livestream, Akademiks discussed the recent testimonies given in court by reviewing the transcripts. That was when he stopped to watch an old episode of Williams' The Wendy Williams Show, from 2015. During the episode, Williams discussed the brief split between Diddy and Cassie Ventura while the latter was in South Africa for a movie shoot.

Akademiks claimed that Ventura and Diddy allegedly broke up at the time after the singer found out that Combs was having an affair with a woman named Gina. The media personality theorized that Wendy Williams knew about the alleged scandal when she spoke about Diddy and Cassie's split on her television show.

Akademiks also credited Williams as the pioneer for paving the way for commentators like him and Charlamagne to have a platform to speak about trending issues. He said that "Wendy knew" about the scandal, adding that she was "the truth" and "has been the GOAT all these years."

"Oh, so, Wendy knew! Yo, Wendy was the truth. Let me tell you this, man. Wendy been the GOAT all these years. Without Wendy, you don't get Charlamagne, you don't get me, I don't think you get none of this s**t. She is what TMZ is for hip-hop," he added.

He also claimed that everyone who had a podcast was "gossiping," including himself, dubbing Wendy Williams as the "godmother" and "queen gossiper."

"And I know some people like to act like... if you're in a podcast, you're gossiping, gang. I don't give a f**k who you are, if you're Joe Budden, you're gossiping. You're a gossip. I don't care if you think you're reviewing music, we're all gossiping, and we all come from this woman right here. I'm sorry, she's the godmother of all this s**t. I gotta be honest."

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Wendy Williams predicts Diddy "will go to prison for life"

Former television host Wendy Williams, who is fighting against her court-ordered guardianship, had a phone interview with The Breakfast Club in January 2025. During the interview, she discussed her conservatorship and her health.

She also commented on Diddy's arrest and trial, declaring that the rapper was "done," and predicting that he would receive a life sentence. She said that people didn't "know things that I do about Diddy back in the day."

“As far as Diddy, Diddy will go to prison for life, people. You don’t know things that I do about Diddy back in the day. And you wanna know what? It’s about time, people. It is about time. Diddy done,” she said.

Wendy Williams has been transparent about her tumultuous relationship with Combs, which spanned back to the 90s. She claimed that the rapper was responsible for her getting fired from her Hot 97 radio show in 1998 after she spoke out against him multiple times during the show.

Following this, she started her talk show, The Wendy Williams Show, where she often spoke about Combs and his controversies. While addressing the split between the rapper and his on-again-off-again partner, Cassie Ventura, in 2015, she alleged that there was a power imbalance when dating a mogul like Diddy.

“My thing about when you date a mogul, it’s really difficult to avoid them because if you use your head you never know when they’ll pop up on the scene. He can hire a plane right now, zoom into South Africa, land on the roof of the hotel she’s staying, pay people off at the front desk, ‘Give me a key and let me up in her room.’ I’m already paranoid as a person,” Williams said.

However, Combs and Williams seemingly made up, with the rapper appearing on her show in 2017. Williams also advocated for the rapper after the news of his split with Ventura in 2018.

However, she revoked her support after seeing his social media activity post-breakup, where he allegedly attempted to patch his relationship with Ventura. She claimed to believe that the rapper didn't want Ventura back and seemingly treated her "like a possession," saying Combs' tactics bordered on manipulation.

Speaking with The Daily Mail following Combs' arrest, Williams revealed that several people told her she had "called" his arrest, adding that it was "about time."

“What is really weird is that I have been told by so many people, ‘Wendy, you called it.' Including some people from my family who have said the same. You know how I feel about that? It is about time. To see this video on TV of [Cassie] getting pummeled … it was just horrific. But now you have to think, how many more times? How many people? How many more women? It’s just so horrible.”

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Combs' ongoing trial saw Cassie Ventura testify about her alleged abuse, assault, r*pe, and coercion to participate in "freak-offs" during her relationship with the rapper. The testimony, which spanned four days, also revealed that the R&B singer settled her 2023 abuse lawsuit against Diddy for $20 million.

In many ways, Ventura's lawsuit opened the door for a federal probe into Combs, resulting in his arrest in September 2024.

The trial will continue on May 20, with Diddy's former assistant, David James, scheduled to continue his testimony.