Sean Combs: The Reckoning — Does 50 Cent’s Netflix Series Feature Justin Bieber?

Sean Combs is trying to stop Netflix from premiering Sean Combs: The Reckoning, a four-part doc from longtime rival Curtis 50 Cent Jackson dropping today, December 2, 2025 — a hard look at his rise and the legal troubles shadowing it, with a brief Bieber mention in Episode 4.

Netflix dropped a four-part docuseries about Sean Combs today, and Combs is trying to stop it literally at the buzzer. The series is produced by his longtime rival Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson. Yes, the timing is spicy. And yes, lawyers are already involved.

• Title: 'Sean Combs: The Reckoning' (4 episodes), now streaming on Netflix as of December 2, 2025
• Combs sent Netflix a cease-and-desist letter on December 1, demanding the release be halted
• His team says the show uses stolen footage and infringes copyright
• Netflix hasn’t pulled it and is backing the producers
• The series covers Combs’s career and his July 2025 conviction; he’s serving a 50-month sentence for two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution

The last-minute legal play

Combs’s attorney Michael Tremonte fired off a cease-and-desist to Netflix one day before the premiere, accusing the platform of using unauthorized video and warning that moving forward could mean copyright and stolen property lawsuits. The crux: Combs’s side says the filmmakers got into private archives they had no right to access.

What footage is in the crosshairs

One piece in particular has everyone circling the wagons: a video shot six days before Combs was arrested, where he talks through his legal strategy and how he planned to defend himself. Combs’s spokesperson Juda Engelmayer says that clip came from a personal documentary he has supposedly been filming since he was 19, and that it was stolen.

Director Alexandria Stapleton, who helmed the Netflix series, isn’t buying that characterization. She says her team obtained the material lawfully and has the rights to use it. Netflix appears aligned with her; the show is live and staying put for now.

50 Cent’s angle, in his own words

People have questions about why 50 Cent is behind a project about his rival of roughly two decades. He’s leaning into the accountability argument, saying the culture shouldn’t be silent about Combs’s actions. The doc backs that up with interviews from former associates and, notably, two jurors from the federal trial.

'If I didn’t say anything, you could assume that all of hip-hop culture is comfortable with his actions or what they’re depicting them as, the person he is, because no one said anything. Let’s stop for a second and do say that I hated him enough to hire his kids, and we’ve never done anything to each other, so it’s just competitive energy and things that you say about other artists while you’re in hip-hop culture.'

He also traced the feud’s origin on Good Morning America, describing an early exchange where Combs offered to take him shopping. 50 says it felt like a test, made him uncomfortable, and that vibe colored everything between them afterward. It’s the kind of odd detail that explains a lot and not much at the same time.

One more wrinkle: the Bieber mention

Episode 4, titled 'Blink Again,' briefly touches Justin Bieber. Producer Lil Rod talks about working on Bieber’s track 'Moments' and says Combs wanted it to channel Michael Jackson’s 'Can’t Help It.' If you’ve seen speculation floating around tied to an old 2009 clip, Bieber’s rep already addressed that back in May 2025 and said he was not a victim. The show doesn’t linger there; it moves on.

So... what now?

The legal fight is just getting started. Combs’s side says key footage was stolen; the filmmakers say they’re covered. Netflix is standing firm and streaming the series anyway. Given the stakes and the history between these two, expect more filings and more headlines.

Are you watching? Do you see 50 Cent’s involvement as accountability, score-settling, or both? 'Sean Combs: The Reckoning' is up on Netflix now.