Diddy’s performance at Tuesday’s 2023 MTV Video Music Awards had a heartfelt deeper meaning. The rapper told ET the set was dedicated to the late mother of his four sons, Kim Porter.
Diddy, 53, took the stage for an extended set on Tuesday after being presented with the Global Icon Award. King joined his father onstage to perform a few tracks, including “It’s All About the Benjamins, “I Need a Girl” and “Mo Money Mo Problems.” Yung Miami and Keyshia Cole also joined Diddy onstage.
“Tonight was special,” Diddy told ET’s Rachel Smith while backstage. “We doing to do this for [King Combs’] mother, it’s the first one we did for his mom, we was thinking about her.”
“This was always a dream of hers,” Diddy continued. “We’d be on stage together like in a big way, in such a global teleised event.”
The rapper went on to tell his son “I’m proud of you,” before embracing in a hug.
King Combs is the second of four children Diddy shares with the late Kim Porter, who passed away in 2018. He is the adoptive father of Porter’s son Quincy from a previous marriage, and also shares twin daughters D’Lila and Jessie James with Porter.
D’Lila and Jessie James were both in attendance on Tuesday, along with Diddy’s daughter Chance, who he shares with Sarah Chapman. Diddy’s beloved mother, Janice, also attended in support.
King told ET the joint performance was “amazing,” adding that “I’ve been watching my pops since I was a kid.”
The family collab was a long time coming for the proud father.
“Since he was four years old, he would yell and scream to come on stage with me,” Diddy said of his son. “When I was doing encores, he would yell and scream to come on stage… this is like our third time performing, but like our biggest time when he really, really, really held it down and I’m proud of him.”
The legendary Mary J. Blige presented Diddy’s Global Icon performance and paid tribute to him, from calling him a “big brother” to reminding the world that his Bad Boy Records has sold more than 500 million albums worldwide. Once onstage, Diddy busted out his trademark Diddy-bop and belted out his 1997 hit “I’ll Be Missing You.” It was Diddy’s first performance at the VMAs since 2005.
The 2023 MTV Video Music Awards is coming to you live from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on MTV. Follow along at ETonline.com for full coverage from this year’s VMAs, including the complete list of the nominees and the night’s big winners.
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