The picture of a young Combs is authentic. However, the yearbook caption was clearly altered.
On Oct. 8, 2024, a Facebook user posted an image allegedly showing music mogul and rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs' high school yearbook photo with a caption naming him as the "most likely to get caught with 784 dildos and gallons of lube."
The picture (archived), which had amassed more than 126,000 reactions as of this writing, was posted in a group named Mayne: O.C. Memes along with the message: "they already knew about #Diddy."
Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown also posted the image to X on Oct. 9 (archived) with no added text.
His post had garnered more than 3.2 million views at the time of publication.
Those two users, and some others, appeared to share the photo in jest, given the picture was clearly partially fake.
In short, while the photo of Combs was genuine, the text underneath his image was visibly altered, which is why we have rated it as a fake.
A Reddit post (archived) from Aug. 25, 2017, showed what appeared to be the original caption below Combs' yearbook photo. It read: "It was a great experience, but it could have been better! Afro. Amer. 3, 4, Blood Dr. 4, Camp. Min. 4, Foot. 2, 3, 4, Track 1, WTL 2, 3."
According to a user in the comments, Combs' caption named clubs and the high school years when he participated in them.
This image displays Combs' original and unaltered yearbook caption.
Reddit user u/guyfierme — the person who posted the picture — also commented that Combs attended Mount Saint Michael Academy in the Bronx, New York. The school's website confirmed Combs graduated in the class of 1987.
The Alamy image-licensing website said a photographer — who was not identified — captured the yearbook photo in 1986.
Combs' Charges and '784 Dildos and Gallons of Lube'
The doctored picture from Combs' yearbook spread online in the months after U.S. federal agents raided the rapper's properties in Miami and Los Angeles in late March 2024.
Months later, on Sept. 16, federal agents arrested Combs in New York. The following day, the U.S. Justice Department unsealed its indictment of Combs, with the U.S. attorney's office for the Southern District of New York charging him with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, all centered on so-called "freak-off" parties — alleged sexual marathons involving drug use and coercion. Combs pleaded not guilty; if convicted, he faces a minimum prison sentence of 15 years.
The claim's mention of "784 dildos and gallons of lube" referenced two matters. First, the idea of Combs stockpiling "784 dildos" was a reference to an unverified rumor that agents uncovered hundreds of dildos during their searches of his properties. However, the indictment against Combs did not specifically mention the recovery of any dildos or sex toys.
Meanwhile, the matter about "gallons of lube" did directly reference part of the indictment. The indictment mentioned that, in agents' searches of Combs properties, "law enforcement seized various 'freak-off' supplies, including narcotics and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant."