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Cuba Gooding Jr. is speaking out after being named in Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones‘ sexual assault lawsuit against Diddy.
According to TMZ, Gooding Jr. recently appeared on the ‘PBD Podcast,’ hosted by Patrick Bet-David. During the conversation, Bet-David asked Gooding Jr. to share his thoughts on the recent events regarding Diddy, including his homes being raided.
“I mean, that’s crazy. That’s the craziest thing I’d ever — and then… how about me?” he said.
The actor explained that one morning, he learned that he was named in Jones’ sexual assault and harassment lawsuit against the music mogul.
“…I wake up in the morning [and] I turn [sic] on and [I hear,] ‘Actor Cuba Gooding Jr.’ — I was like, ‘Excuse me?!'” he continued. “[You’re] pulling me into this?!”
Gooding Jr. explained that “whatever” Diddy is “dealing with” is “a part of his journey.”
“I can’t imagine that he’s stupid enough to do whatever he’s doing and keep it on his premises,” he explained. “I think that the raid and all of that stuff — only time will tell who was involved, [and] who had been a frequent guest in these places and areas.”
Gooding Jr. went on to explain that he had only recently met the music mogul sometime between 2019 and 2020. The actor explained that Diddy invited him to his home at the time.
The actor added that he hadn’t seen Diddy since the night Jones alleged Gooding Jr. committed sexual assault against him while on the music mogul’s yacht.
“Hadn’t seen him since that night where this guy with this picture, and says that I had my shoulder on him and all this stuff,” the actor continued.
Gooding Jr. explained that Jones asked the actor to listen to Diddy’s new song at the time of the alleged incident. The actor explained that he sat down next to Jones, and they posed for various photos.
“They didn’t use this angle,” he continued. “… You made it look the way you wanted it to look… [but] it was like, here we are just listening to music!”
The actor explained that this was the only encounter he had with Jones before leaving the yacht. However, before concluding, Gooding Jr. made additional claims about Jones.
“So this guy who’s suing him [Diddy] is going after the money, man,” he said. “I’m sure, and by the way, I don’t know P. Diddy’s life. I don’t know what he’s going through. I don’t know what the police are going to find… We were acquaintances — two times I’ve seen him.”
According to TMZ, Gooding Jr. appears to be incorrect regarding his claim of meeting Diddy in 2019. The outlet reports that a photo shows the pair “next to each other,” which was taken in 2003.
As The Shade Room previously reported, Jones filed a sexual assault and harassment lawsuit against Diddy in February 2024. To note, Jones was a former employee of Diddy’s and accused the mogul of grooming him for sex and touching him inappropriately.
Additionally, Jones accused Diddy of subjecting him to unwanted advances by his entourage.
After reports surfaced of the suit, a lawyer for Diddy spoke out, denying Jones’ allegations.
However, in March, Jones amended his lawsuit to also include Cuba Gooding Jr. as a defendant, per The Shade Room. In the initial suit, Jones accused Gooding Jr. of groping him while the two were on the music mogul’s yacht in January 2023.
“[Gooding] began touching, groping, and fondling Mr. Jones’ legs, his upper inner thighs near his groin, the small of his back near his buttocks, and his shoulders,” the suit stated, per NBC News. “[Jones] was extremely uncomfortable and proceeded to lean away from Mr. Gooding Jr. He rejected his advances, and Mr. Gooding Jr. did not stop until Mr. Jones forcibly pushed him away.”
Furthermore, Jones also included a photo of him and Gooding Jr. from their alleged encounter. The picture reportedly showed Gooding Jr. with his arm around Jones.
