From private jets to packets of fish — fallen rap mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has reportedly been reduced to using mackerel as money behind bars. The disgraced 55-year-old star, once famed for flaunting his diamonds and designer fits, is now trading oily pouches of mackerel — known as “macks” — inside Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Centre, where he’s being held ahead of his sex trafficking trial. Diddy, who has denied all allegations against him, has endured a spectacular fall from grace since his arrest in September 2024.
Gone are the flashy parties and champagne toasts — he now dines on lasagna, Cheez-Its, and Snickers bars, and can reportedly only access a laptop without Wi-Fi under strict supervision. The embattled music mogul has also ditched his signature black hair and beard, revealing a fully grey look as he adjusts to life in 4 North — a dorm-style unit that houses around 20 inmates, including government informants and high-profile figures like Sam Bankman-Fried, who has since been transferred.
Although Diddy’s lawyers expected him to be isolated in a Special Housing Unit, he’s been given slightly more freedom in 4 North, where inmates spend less time confined to their cells. Still, it’s a far cry from his past life of luxury and private villas.
Gene Borrello, a former inmate turned government witness, told The New York Times: “You have nothing to worry about in 4 North." He said inmates there can roam freely, use televisions, microwaves, and even work out in a shared area — though they’re still under regular checks by corrections officers.
According to Borrello, each bathroom has stalls, and inmates can eat in the common space.
Meals are basic, with breakfast served at 7am and highlights like lasagna and “pasta fazool” appearing on the rotating menu just once a month.
Commissary snacks are available for purchase — Cheez-Its go for $3.65, and a six-pack of Snickers will set you back $5.95.
Inmates can also buy toiletries, radios, and watches, spending up to $180 every two weeks using money from outside.
Diddy meets his legal team regularly in common spaces and is expected to spend hours reviewing mounting evidence on a restricted-use laptop from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.
His computer access is confined to communal areas like the visiting room or video-call space.
Phone calls are strictly monitored and capped at 15 minutes. A recent recording of Diddy’s conversation with Kanye West, leaked in March, captured him saying: “When I get out there, man, I want to see you f****g tear down the stadiums.
"I need to see you back on that stage, f*****g actually rapping and f*****g performing and everything. I be dreaming of that s**t.”
Visitors in Diddy’s unit are only allowed in on Tuesdays, with all contact supervised. Despite the conditions, sources say the rapper remains focused on preparing for his trial next month and stays upbeat when speaking with his team.
For now, though, Diddy’s dreams of a comeback are on hold — and his new reality includes trading fish for favours in the prison commissary queue.