Leonardo DiCaprio may have begun to shed his playboy past and friendship with Sean “Diddy” Combs far too late for fans who are now turning their backs on the actor.
The “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” star’s reputation is among the numerous casualties amid the fallout from Combs’ mounting legal troubles as he awaits trial in prison for a federal sex trafficking and racketeering case. The Bad Boy Records founder was indicted on multiple felonies and jailed in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, in September.
Around that same time, photos from several parties the mogul threw throughout his three-decade-spanning career resurfaced.
Controversially, images of Hollywood A-listers like DiCaprio caused a stir online as users speculated about which guests participated in or at least had knowledge of Combs’ alleged drug-fueled sexcapades known as freak offs.
As details about the case being built around the disgraced record executive spill out into the media, so have allegations that a celebrity with even more prominence than Combs being videotaped at one of the debauchery bashes.
The Academy Award winner famously attended his ex-pal’s White Party in the Hamptons in 1998. He is shown drinking alcohol, smoking a cigarette, and having a good time while flanked by Combs and other attendees in the resurfaced images.
Despite reports suggesting that the “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” actor has made an effort to distance himself from the hitmaker, his fans say he cannot escape the past.
“You lost respect,” said one such person who flocked to DiCaprio’s most recent Instagram post informing the public on key voter registration dates.
Another follower who expressed their lack of support for him wrote, “Titanic is waiting for you at the bottom.” A third said, in part, “Good guy’s face but his mask is falling off.”
Photos from Diddy's all white party have started going viral following his arrest last week. Some celebrities in attendance were Leonardo DiCaprio, Chris Brown, Mariah Carey, Paris Hilton, and more🧵 pic.twitter.com/lXJMFylaYB
— Historic Vids (@historyinmemes) September 23, 2024
The “Django” star has in not been publicly named as a person of interest in the federal case. A few who rushed to defend him took note of that fact. One person stated, “Knowing and keeping silent does not make you the chief criminal, but it makes you unscrupulous. Hollywood’s gossip network is wide and fast. It is impossible for such influential people not to know what Diddy is doing.”
A second commented, “White parties were normal. Don’t mistake them with the freak offs where those atrocities happened.”
DiCaprio has been a screen gem since getting his start as a child actor at the age of 5. From his young adult years until last August, he was known as an eternal bachelor who wooed the likes of models and entertainers; the only caveat is that he is known for not batting an eye at women over the age of 28.
Hearsay about his dating preference is among the reasons his heyday has come under scrutiny. Someone alleging to have knowledge of his response to Combs’ troubles told Radar Online that he has “spent years moving away from his party boy image to one of an environmental campaigner.”
Diddy’s courtroom sketches from today’s hearing in Manhattan
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) October 10, 2024
🎨 by Jane Rosenberg pic.twitter.com/ZKuQVsBe42
The 49-year-old is also alleged to be “very touchy about the mention of his past and his ongoing love of younger models.”
DiCaprio is currently dating 26-year-old Italian model Vittoria Ceretti. The pair were recently spotted dining with their parents in Italy. Fans believe the “Catch Me If You Can” actor fled the United States to escape rumors.
The former billionaire mogul is slated to start what could be a month-long trial on May 5, 2025, though a possible superseding indictment with more charges could extend his time in court.
Combs is facing life behind bars. Thus far, his legal counsel has been denied three appeals to have him released on bond. A judge has yet to respond to a fourth motion for bail submitted on Oct. 11.
