“I haven’t addressed any of this publicly, but I just wanna say this very clearly: I don’t have s— to do with Puffy,” said Will Smith
Will Smith made rare comments about Sean “Diddy” Combs while onstage, denying any connection to the music mogul’s alleged crimes.
The Oscar winner, who released a new song called “Tantrum,” performed at the Observatory North Park theater in San Diego on Thursday, Dec. 12.
Videos shared on TikTok and obtained by TMZ show Smith addressing the crowd between songs, speaking about memes linking him to Combs.
“The world we’re in right now, it’s really hard for y’all to discern what’s real and what’s true, you know?” he said in the clip. “I’ve been seeing y’all’s memes and stuff … Some of that stuff’s funny. … I haven’t addressed any of this publicly, but I just wanna say this very clearly: I don’t have s— to do with Puffy, so y’all can stop all them memes. You can stop all of that bulls—.”
“I ain’t been nowhere near that man, ain’t did none of that stupid s—,” Smith, 56, who’s been previously photographed with Combs at industry events over the years, said from the stage. “So whenever y’all hear it, if somebody say that, it’s a damn lie.”
Combs, 55, is in federal custody in New York City after his September indictment on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.
He is alleged to have used coercion to make women participate in so-called “freak-offs,” described by prosecutors as “elaborate and produced sex performances.” Prosecutors also say authorities found “freak-off supplies,” including drugs and over 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant, when they raided Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami in March.
Combs has denied committing any wrongdoing. His attorneys previously said in a statement to PEOPLE after the first wave of civil assault complaints that he “cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus,” but that he “emphatically” denied sexually abusing anyone.
Combs will remain behind bars until his trial in May 2025. His legal counsel filed a motion Dec. 13 to dismiss his appeal for bail in his ongoing sex trafficking and racketeering case.
In the recent video, Smith made a joke onstage while denying any connection to Combs: “I don’t even like baby oil,” he said with a laugh.
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He then added, “But, no, having said that publicly. Y’all the first time. I usually don’t respond to dumbass stuff because it’s so many things. People say so much stuff. But that one — your memes was doin’ too much. Y’all was having me mad.”
Jamie Foxx is another celebrity who recently cleared up online conspiracies attempting to connect him to Combs. In his Netflix special that debuted Tuesday, Dec. 10 titled Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was…, Foxx said, “I left them parties early. I was out by 9. Something don’t look right. It’s slippery in here.”
It isn’t often that a manufacturer transforms a hybrid into a nonhybrid; it’s usually vice versa. But that is what Alfa Romeo has planned for the Tonale subcompact SUV. Since the model’s release, it has only been offered as a plug-in hybrid (reviewed separately) in the U.S. market. The new nonhybrid Tonale ditches its battery pack and electric motor for a 268-hp turbo four-cylinder powertrain. The engine is borrowed from the Dodge Hornet, which is built on the same platform as the Tonale and shares much of its sheetmetal and interior bits with the Alfa. In our most recent test of the Tonale Hybrid, we didn’t think that the powertrain was the Tonale’s primary issue but rather its uncommunicative steering, which renders it less engaging to pilot than the larger Alfa Stelvio SUV. While 268 horsepower, all-wheel drive, and respectable standard equipment put the Tonale in the running with other nonhybrid competitors like the BMW X1, Volvo XC40, and Mercedes-Benz GLA-class, a new engine won’t change the fact that those three provide a more refined luxury experience than the Tonale Hybrid. In all likelihood, that will apply to the standard, nonhybrid Tonale as well.
While the hybrid version of the Tonale has been around since the 2024 model year, the gas-only version Tonale is new for 2025. Despite the powertrain difference between the hybrid and nonhybrid Tonale, they are very similar cars inside and out.
The price of the 2025 Alfa Romeo Tonale starts at $38,530 and goes up to $42,930 depending on the trim and options.
We’d spring for the more expensive Veloce, which adds adaptive dampers and paddle shifters. It also comes with the Premium package, which includes quality-of-life-improving features such as leather seats with ventilation up front, driver’s-seat memory, and a hands-free power liftgate.
