Kirk Burrowes: Life After His Controversial Accusations Against Diddy
Kirk Burrowes in Sean Combs: The Reckoning; Sean “Diddy” Combs attends 2023 Invest Fest on August 26, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Credit:
Courtesy of Netflix; Paras Griffin/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Sean “Diddy” Combs co-founded Bad Boy Entertainment with Kirk Burrowes in 1993.
- The former co-founder has sued Combs twice for allegedly forcing him to give up ownership of the company.
- In 2025, Burrowes accused the rapper of sexual harassment, abuse, and physical violence.
When Kirk Burrowes and Sean “Diddy” Combs established Bad Boy Entertainment in the 1990s, the label quickly gained acclaim for its role in launching iconic artists like The Notorious B.I.G.. However, over the years, insiders such as Burrowes have revealed a troubling aspect of the music empire.
“With Sean, sometimes you’re humiliated,” Burrowes stated in Netflix’s Sean Combs: The Reckoning. “Sometimes you’re made an example of. Sometimes violent things happen to you. Through the years, a lot of bad things happened to good friends.”
Burrowes alleges that Combs subjected him to years of verbal, emotional, and physical abuse during their tenure at the company. Both in the docuseries and two lawsuits, he claimed that in 1996, Combs threatened him with a baseball bat to coerce him into signing over his 25% ownership stake in Bad Boy Entertainment.
He later alleged he was fired for refusing to modify Biggie’s contract to benefit the company. Burrowes stated in The Reckoning that he faced a 25-year blacklist in the industry.
Diddy’s legal team denied Burrowes’ accusations, characterizing the lawsuit as “another frivolous attempt to re-litigate claims that have been repeatedly thrown out of court over the past 30 years.”
Currently, questions remain about Burrowes’ whereabouts and endeavors following his pivotal role at Bad Boy Entertainment with Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Burrowes co-founded Bad Boy with Combs in the 1990s
Sean Combs at the launch of Notorious Magazine on July 3, 1999, in Southampton.
Rossa W. Cole/Sygma via Getty
Founded in 1993, Bad Boy Entertainment emerged shortly after a tragic incident during a celebrity basketball game organized by Combs, where nine individuals lost their lives in a stampede. In an effort to shield himself from financial liability, Combs reportedly assigned 75% of company stock to his mother, Janice, leaving Burrowes with 25%.
Burrowes claimed, “He did not put the company in his name to protect him from paying families at CCNY. And I saw from that moment on, Sean had shifted in his personality.”
During his tenure at Bad Boy Entertainment, Burrowes held several key positions, including chief operating officer, general manager, and president, according to his 2025 complaint.
He sued Combs for sexual abuse in 2025
Kirk Burrowes in ‘The Art of Dialogue.’
The Art Of Dialogue/YouTube
In February 2025, Burrowes filed a lawsuit against Combs, alleging years of “predatory” behavior that included “repeated sexual harassment, physical aggression, and forced compliance with degrading sexual acts.”
The former COO claimed he was forced to witness “nudity, sexual overtones, voyeurism, and acts of exhibitionism” during what were purportedly business meetings. According to the complaint, these incidents occurred between 1992 and 1994, intensifying to “physical coercion and forced submission” as well as alleged sexual abuse from 1995 to 1996.
The 1996 incident involving the baseball bat was included in this complaint, as was a separate lawsuit Burrowes filed in 2003 that was ultimately dismissed.
Burrowes also filed a complaint against Janice Combs, claiming she played an active role in a fraudulent scheme to gain full control of Bad Boy Entertainment while maintaining a facade of integrity.
Both lawsuits from 2025 are currently pending.
Combs allegedly forced him to give up ownership of Bad Boy
Sean “Diddy” Combs at Howard University on October 20, 2023 in Washington, DC.
Shareif Ziyadat/Getty
In court documents, Burrowes accused Combs of “forced coercion” leading to his loss of a 25% stake in the company. The rapper allegedly “stormed” into Burrowes’ office with a baseball bat, demanding he sign over his ownership or face violent consequences.
Burrowes asserts he complied under duress, signing away his stake without any financial compensation. He further alleged that Combs took measures to erase his contributions to Bad Boy Entertainment.
Burrowes claimed Combs blacklisted him for other opportunities
Kirk Burrowes in Sean Combs: The Reckoning.
Courtesy of Netflix
Despite remaining with Bad Boy Entertainment after relinquishing his ownership, Burrowes claimed he was ultimately fired for opposing Combs. He alleged in the docuseries that, while The Notorious B.I.G.’s contract was renegotiated, Combs instructed him to secretly alter pages of the signed agreement to benefit the company.
Burrowes stated he refused and was terminated 90 days later. In his 2025 lawsuit, he accused Combs of “post-termination harassment and blacklisting” up until 2022.
“For 25 years, I was basically blacklisted and banned,” he revealed in The Reckoning. “Next thing you know — shelters, homelessness.”
The complaint alleges that Combs would “personally” inform industry executives to avoid working with Burrowes.
His journals were used for the 2025 docuseries Sean Combs: The Reckoning
Sean “Diddy” Combs in ‘Sean Combs: The Reckoning.’
Netflix
Throughout his tenure at Bad Boy Entertainment, Burrowes meticulously documented daily operations, capturing not only financial information but also aspects of Combs’ personal life.
Director Alexandria Stapleton noted, “He had maybe 30 boxes of those journals. We pulled them out of storage, and one of my producers literally took them to her place, and we just scanned and scanned and scanned and scanned.”
Where is Kirk Burrowes now?
Kirk Burrowes in Sean Combs: The Reckoning.
Courtesy of Netflix
After being reportedly blacklisted from the music industry, Burrowes transitioned to television and film, founding his own company, Pop Life Entertainment, in New York in 2018, as per his LinkedIn profile.
“I’m back, stronger than ever, with incredible stories to tell and the infrastructure to make them real,” he remarked. “This moment, this platform, is something far greater: It is my opportunity to finally speak my truth. Guided and empowered by my Lord and Savior, I remain steadfast.”
Burrowes concluded, “The battle is not over, but neither am I.”
