Video shows Kamala Harris and Montel Williams, not Diddy | Fact check

The claim: Post implies Kamala Harris and Sean 'Diddy' Combs dated

A Sept. 24 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) includes a video of Vice President Kamala Harris walking alongside a man and young woman at a formal event. The group stops and poses together as photographers take pictures of them.

“Kamala Harris’ Diddy tweets and dating history resurface,” the text on the screen reads.

Some social media users took the post as evidence that Harris and music producer Sean “Diddy” Combs previously dated, including one that referenced Harris "bring around diddy."

Another comment reads, “She enjoys his company so much, give her the cell next to his," referring to Combs’ being jailed on federal charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

The post was shared more than 11,000 times in more than a week.

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Our rating: Missing context

The implied claim is wrong. The man in the video with Harris is talk show host Montel Williams, not Combs. There is no credible evidence that Harris and Combs dated.

Harris and Combs knew each other, no evidence they dated

The video shows Harris with Williams and his daughter Ashley Williams in 2001, according to news coverage at the time that shows the three dressed the same as in the video. Combs is not in the video. The caption of a Getty Images picture says the group was attending the Race to Erase Multiple Sclerosis Benefit, an annual fundraising gala to help find a cure for the disease.

Harris and Williams dated briefly around that time, which came up years later when Harris ran for president in 2020. Williams acknowledged the relationship in a 2019 post on Twitter.

“Kamala Harris and I briefly dated about 20 years ago when we were both single," wrote Williams. "So what? I have great respect for Sen. Harris. I have to wonder if the same stories about her dating history would have been written if she were a male candidate?"

There are no credible news reports about Harris and Combs dating.

However, they have crossed paths. Combs hosted an online town hall in 2020 called "State of Emergency: The State of Black America & Coronavirus” on Revolt, a network he once owned. Harris, then a U.S. senator for California, was one of the speakers at the event and later thanked Combs for hosting it in an X post.

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USA TODAY previously debunked a claim that an image showed Harris and Combs at the 2001 gala. The image was digitally altered to put Combs’ face on Williams' body.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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(This story was updated to correct a typo)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video wrongly used to claim Kamala Harris, Diddy dated | Fact check