Long before American Idol or The Voice became cultural juggernauts, there was Making the Band—a reality series that combined music, ambition, and plenty of drama. Now, amid Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ongoing federal sex trafficking trial, the show is being revisited through a more critical lens.
The series debuted on ABC in 2000 with music mogul Lou Pearlman, who helped launch the careers of *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys. The first season followed the creation of boy band O-Town. But it wasn’t until the show moved to MTV in 2002—under the direction of Combs—that it hit its cultural stride.
At the height of MTV’s reality TV dominance, Making the Band offered viewers a front-row seat to the high-stakes, high-pressure world of hip-hop and R&B stardom. Today, it’s back in the spotlight—this time, as a backdrop to serious allegations.
Combs is currently facing federal charges in New York, including sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transporting individuals for prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.
Among the prosecution’s witnesses is singer Dawn Richard, who met Combs on Making the Band 3 and went on to become a member of the group Danity Kane. Last week, Richard testified that she once saw Combs drag his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, by her hair. In a separate civil lawsuit filed in 2024, Richard accused Combs of sexual battery, harassment, and false imprisonment—allegations he denies.
“It’s unfortunate that Ms. Richard has cast their 20-year friendship aside to try and get money from him,” a representative for Combs said at the time of the lawsuit. “Mr. Combs is confidently standing on truth and looks forward to proving that in court.”
Viewers of Making the Band were no strangers to Combs’ tough persona. One of the show’s most infamous moments came during Making the Band 2, when Combs ordered contestants to walk miles across New York City to fetch cheesecake from Junior’s in Brooklyn—without using public transportation.
“See the city, enjoy the sights,” Combs told them, denying it was a hazing ritual. “There’s a bigger picture… In the world of music, I have to get up every day and do a bunch of s**t I don’t wanna do.”
The moment became a cultural flashpoint, even earning a parody on Chappelle’s Show that mocked Combs’ exaggerated authority.
In 2005, Making the Band 3 followed Combs as he assembled an all-female group. The result was Danity Kane—comprising Richard, Aubrey O’Day, Shannon Bex, D. Woods, and Aundrea Fimbres—who saw commercial success with hits like “Damaged” and “Touching My Body.”
However, behind-the-scenes tension often boiled over. In a 2018 interview with Cosmopolitan, the group spoke out about their experiences. O’Day recalled being fired by Combs, who accused her of being “promiscuous.”
Richard rejected the premise: “It wasn’t about her being ‘promiscuous.’ It was about the power to prove, ‘I own your career.’” O’Day added, “I didn’t lose my virginity until my senior year of college. That wasn’t the issue—it was about control.”
Bex noted that O’Day often challenged Combs, something he didn’t seem to tolerate. “Conversations with him felt like you had to ask permission,” she said. “Aubrey didn’t do that—and he didn’t like it.”
Combs declined to comment at the time of the Cosmopolitan interview.
O’Day has remained vocal in the years since. On a recent episode of the Amy & T.J. podcast, she criticized Combs’ decision to have six of his seven children—ages 18 to 33—attend portions of his criminal trial, calling it “selfish.”
“I don’t know any father who would want their children to sit through that kind of testimony,” she said.
O’Day clarified that she was not called to testify. “I posted on Instagram that I was in New York and enjoying myself because I wanted to make it clear—I am not here for the trial,” she explained.
Making the Band aired its final season in 2009, but in light of recent events, many are reassessing the show’s legacy and how it portrayed power, control, and ambition in the music industry.
Story by Obaapa Janee/ahotoronline.com
