Kelly Price Clarifies Her ‘Prayer’ for Diddy After Backlash: ‘My Name Is Kelly, Not Jesus’

May 21, 2024 E Jazz Reporter

Music

The singer said she wasn’t trying to position herself as a “Diddy cheerleader” with her comment about his apology video.

Kelly Price attends the 2022 BET Awards at Microsoft Theater on June 26, 2022 in Los Angeles.

Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Kelly Price has clarified her stance after offering Diddy a “prayer” following his apology in response to a 2016 surveillance video of the Bad Boy CEO assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura posted by CNN last week.

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“For those who misconstrued, misinterpreted or just chose to put words in my mouth, this is for clarity. If you choose to believe otherwise that’s your choice, but I won’t let anyone call me out for something I didn’t do,” Price captioned the post to Instagram on Sunday.

She continued: “I can’t offer redemption, forgiveness or Grace because my name is Kelly, not Jesus.
Therapy+Jesus that’s doing the Soul work. What happens legally is up to the people who have that authority.”

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The singer expanded on her comments in a 12-minute Instagram Live video, in which she claimed it was “more of a warning” and a push for Diddy to look inward and “do the soul work.”

“I was basically telling him you gotta change your heart, you gotta change your mind, you gotta change your direction,” she added. “I simply was saying he had to do the work.”

Price made sure to clarify that she wasn’t trying to position herself as a “Diddy cheerleader” and she’s “not OK with someone else doing something so horrific,” while seemingly referencing the gruesome footage of the assault.

“I told him, do what you need to do to get your soul right, brother,” she stated. “It’s up to the courts to decide what they do with him legally. I have nothing to do with that.”

Kelly Price responds to criticism after sending prayers to Diddy after horrific video surface of him attacking Cassie. pic.twitter.com/clog9vFgco

— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) May 20, 2024

The “Friend of Mine” singer originally offered up the comment — which was met with vehement criticism — on Instagram following Diddy’s apology before eventually deleting the remark, per Vibe.

“It is my sincere prayer that the power of the Holy Ghost overtake you so that you not not only have a change of heart but a change of mind and a change of direction,” she wrote. “I have seen you at your best and at your worst. I know what you are capable of being when you were at your best despite the seductions of this industry. I want to see you and I want to see you soon too kreate8 this in this business but I need you to pray and I need you to receive from the most high. I need for those prayers to take place sincerely. You are a unique talent, and both sides that represent light and darkness receive you anxiously. Do you know who God is! Lean not unto your own understanding but all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path. [red heart emoji] KP.”

While the myriad of sexual misconduct lawsuits against Sean “Diddy” Combs piled up, CNN posted jarring surveillance footage on Friday (May 17) of Diddy attacking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel in March 2016.

Forty-eight hours later, Combs issued an apology for his “inexcusable” actions in a video posted to social media on Sunday.

“It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that,” Diddy said. “I was f—ed up. I mean, I hit rock bottom. But I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it, I’m disgusted now.”

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