May 21, 2025

The Reputation Cliff: Why Some Celebrities Never Recover: Featuring the Sean Combs Trial and My NBC News Interview

This episode examines the sharp edge of celebrity scandal and why some reputations teeter over the cliff while others, against the odds, manage a comeback. With Sean Combs (Diddy) serving as the case study, this episode reveals PR moves public figure make when they are close to the edge of the “reputation cliff.”

Comparing a trio of notorious comebacks and collapses—Robert Downey Jr., Tiger Woods, Ellen DeGeneres—the episode shares how two made it through the crisis while one fell victim to it.

In this episode:

The three signals a brand or person is beyond repair
Why apologies and silence aren’t equal
The harsh truth about when it's too little, too late.

Sources:

How allegations can impact Combs' Reputation , NBC News, May 14, 2025
Brands! Take a Stand! But Do So With Caution , You.Gov, Deepa Bhatia - December 18th, 2018
Poll: Tiger Woods Hits a Record Low, NY Post, 2009

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00:00 - Celebrity Scandals: Who Survives?

01:25 - The Reputation Cliff Explained

02:56 - Recovery Stories: RDJ and Tiger Woods

05:32 - Ellen's Fatal Mistake

07:31 - Sean Combs: Brand in Freefall

12:37 - Trust, Values and Crisis Response

13:10 - Episode Wrap and Resources

WEBVTT

00:00:00.260 --> 00:00:02.464
Some celebrities survive scandal.

00:00:02.464 --> 00:00:04.448
Others never come back.

00:00:04.448 --> 00:00:09.763
Right now, sean Combs, aka Diddy, is facing more than just legal trouble.

00:00:09.763 --> 00:00:14.345
He's dealing with a brand collapse that might be impossible to rebuild.

00:00:14.345 --> 00:00:22.594
I was recently interviewed by NBC News about what the outcome of this trial potentially means for his reputation and whether a comeback is even possible.

00:00:22.594 --> 00:00:25.830
Today I'm breaking it down what makes a brand unrecoverable and why this comeback is even possible.

00:00:25.830 --> 00:00:29.550
Today I'm breaking it down what makes a brand unrecoverable and why this scandal is different.

00:00:30.231 --> 00:00:36.329
Welcome to the PR Breakdown, the podcast, where I look at the strategy and the psychology behind the headlines.

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I'm your host, molly McPherson, a crisis strategist and a communicator who helps leaders navigate outrage, backlash and reputation damage with clarity and credibility.

00:00:47.234 --> 00:00:50.424
And today's topic it's a big one.

00:00:50.424 --> 00:01:03.033
We're asking is Sean Combs' reputation officially over and that's what Gotti Schwartz was asking me for a segment that aired last week on NBC News.

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Is there any coming back from this for Diddy?

00:01:07.131 --> 00:01:24.528
Now I'll walk you through my framework for understanding the point of no return what I call the reputation cliff and show you exactly how a brand or a person in the public eye gets there, using some of the clips from my interview.

00:01:25.290 --> 00:01:28.403
Let's start with the big idea the reputation cliff.

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This is the point when a public figure's image goes from damaged to destroyed.

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There's no climbing back, and it usually happens when three things align One a pattern of bad behavior.

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Two proof, a video, a lawsuit, a firsthand account.

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Three a loss of allies, brands, partners or peers backing away fast.

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And we've seen it with many scandals that ended careers.

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Here's a list Taking a deep breath Matt Lauer, charlie Rose, allison Mack, danny Masterson, roseanne Barr, kevin Spacey, ellen DeGeneres, russell Brand, bill Cosby, harvey Weinstein, r Kelly, phil Spector, lance Armstrong, michael Richards, anthony Weiner, jonathan Majors.

00:02:17.792 --> 00:02:29.072
Then there are some scandals where people recovered Martha Stewart, robert Downey Jr, queen Camilla, ted Danson, jude Law, hugh Grant, david Letterman, ben Affleck.

00:02:29.072 --> 00:02:33.631
And then there are scandals where people partially recovered.

00:02:33.631 --> 00:02:48.814
In other words, you see them, but the scandal still lingers Tiger Woods, katherine Heigl, louis CK, janet Jackson, johnny Depp, bill O'Reilly, charlie Sheen, winona Ryder, matthew McConaughey, and there are many more, but we got to get through the podcast at some point.

00:02:56.599 --> 00:02:58.002
Robert Downey Jr went from mugshots to marble.

00:02:58.002 --> 00:03:03.209
After years of drug arrests in the 90s and a professional freefall, he reemerged with humility and work ethic.

00:03:03.209 --> 00:03:09.242
Iron man made him bankable again, but his real rehabilitation came through consistency.

00:03:09.242 --> 00:03:10.687
He showed up.

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He stayed sober.

00:03:11.909 --> 00:03:15.620
He acknowledged his past without self-pity.

00:03:15.620 --> 00:03:18.549
Just look at his Academy Awards speech.

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He's known for being respectful on set and self-aware in interviews.

00:03:23.502 --> 00:03:29.125
The public rewarded Robert Downey Jr for what looked like genuine change.

00:03:30.108 --> 00:03:34.038
Tiger Woods took a slightly different route In 2009,.

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His personal life imploded.

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Do you remember that Thanksgiving weekend when Elin went after Tiger with a golf club?

00:03:43.121 --> 00:03:50.592
When she found out about his infidelity, there was a press avalanche that threatened to collapse his golf legacy.

00:03:50.592 --> 00:03:52.627
He triaged immediately.

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There was a televised apology.

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It was structured accountability.

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He told the public.

00:03:58.962 --> 00:04:04.925
My real apology will come from my behavior over time, and he stuck to that.

00:04:04.925 --> 00:04:12.193
He did wobble, but he's someone who slowly wanted to make a comeback by 2019, when he won the Masters.

00:04:12.193 --> 00:04:15.848
A Washington Post poll showed that most Americans wanted him back.

00:04:15.848 --> 00:04:25.288
There were fans out there who did not want Tiger to go away certainly sponsors, but he did a lot of work off the green as well Charitable foundations, junior golf programs.

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The public saw effort and not deflection.

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A third name Ellen DeGeneres.

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By contrast, the former talk show host lost control of her narrative and she never got it back.

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Her 2020 workplace scandal wasn't a single misstep.

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She was accused of longtime bullying, racial discrimination.

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It was learned that she would fire people for taking time off, for bereavement, for medical leave.

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There were a lot of leaks about her and Ellen DeGeneres.

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Let too much time pass from the scandal to apology.

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But it was a combination of not taking accountability, not taking accountability quickly enough, but also her issues were systemic.

00:05:10.382 --> 00:05:17.805
The accusations of bullying, racism and firings took place over time and she let it go.

00:05:17.805 --> 00:05:21.661
And when she finally addressed it on the air, she failed to meet the moment.

00:05:21.661 --> 00:05:23.745
There was no ownership, no reflection.

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She made the biggest mistake that celebrities make.

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She pointed the blame to the media and the internet.

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They were the problem and that's the fatal move.

00:05:32.122 --> 00:05:34.961
Blame is not a strategy, it's just a smokescreen.

00:05:34.961 --> 00:05:39.531
So she was canceled twice her show and the public.

00:05:40.091 --> 00:05:45.949
Now, why did Robert Downey Jr and Tiger Woods get through it, but not Ellen Time?

00:05:45.949 --> 00:05:51.305
Robert Downey Jr was spiraling in the 90s, tiger Woods 2009.

00:05:51.305 --> 00:05:55.312
Ellen DeGeneres was more recent Time fades.

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Outrage Tone matters too.

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Downey and Woods triaged their situation immediately.

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They were more humble, more contrite.

00:06:05.535 --> 00:06:06.961
Ellen deflected.

00:06:07.482 --> 00:06:09.725
Her crisis wasn't just bad optics.

00:06:09.725 --> 00:06:11.247
It was about bad culture.

00:06:11.247 --> 00:06:17.062
Audiences can forgive mistakes, but they rarely forgive a pattern.

00:06:17.062 --> 00:06:22.954
But there is a quiet variable that no one likes to name and talk about, and that's gender.

00:06:22.954 --> 00:06:27.271
Male celebrities often return faster and stronger than their female counterparts.

00:06:27.271 --> 00:06:34.435
Just compare a Louis CK to a Janet Jackson or a Chris Brown to a Lindsay Lohan.

00:06:34.435 --> 00:06:37.341
The double standard is alive and well.

00:06:38.023 --> 00:06:43.021
But the most overlooked factor in crisis response, in my opinion, is this who is the victim?

00:06:43.021 --> 00:06:47.610
If the celebrity is the only victim, the road back is easier.

00:06:47.610 --> 00:06:51.245
Robert Downey Jr was his own cautionary tale.

00:06:51.245 --> 00:06:58.144
Tiger Woods' damage, while personal, didn't extend to workplace or staff.

00:06:58.144 --> 00:07:03.362
It was his wife and his family and sponsors, but certainly was more contained.

00:07:03.362 --> 00:07:05.992
But Ellen's victims weren't abstract.

00:07:05.992 --> 00:07:13.749
They were her employees, and when a scandal involves many people with less power, the path back narrows.

00:07:13.749 --> 00:07:19.682
Think Harvey Weinstein, think Bill Cosby, think Kevin Spacey.

00:07:19.682 --> 00:07:23.345
Think about who gets hurt and how publicly.

00:07:23.345 --> 00:07:27.928
And the real question now is where does Sean Combs land?

00:07:27.928 --> 00:07:31.452
Let me give you some background in the case before we dive deeper into scandal.

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In late 2023, the singer Cassie Ventura filed a bombshell lawsuit against Sean Combs, alleging years of abuse, coercion and rape, but it opened the floodgates.

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Since then, at least 60 other women have come forward with similar allegations.

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Federal investigators conducted a raid on his properties in Los Angeles and Miami.

00:07:54.487 --> 00:08:07.709
It was part of a sweeping investigation that reportedly includes sex trafficking, illegal drug use and potential RICO charges thus the federal aspect to the case and Combs is now on trial.

00:08:07.709 --> 00:08:12.149
We're not seeing live coverage of the trial, but we're getting breakdowns.

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We have reporters who are in the courtroom.

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The New York Times, which is how I'm following the case, has updates on their website the volume and the nature of allegations, combined with video footage.

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My gosh, remember the leaked CNN video from the hotel of what he did to Cassie Ventura and then his attempt at an apology video after that leaked last year.

00:08:34.395 --> 00:08:42.524
They've fundamentally changed public perception and, outside of that apology video, combs has denied all wrongdoing.

00:08:43.145 --> 00:08:47.556
There are a lot of celebrities who are nervous about being brought in as witnesses to this case.

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People are very interested.

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We're heading into the summer with this case still being a big news story.

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Now, speaking of news, let's turn to my recent interview with NBC.

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Here's what I told NBC's Gotti Schwartz when he asked me if Diddy could bounce back from this.

00:09:05.434 --> 00:09:11.908
It's very difficult because P Diddy, sean Combs, whatever the name is, the name is now a liability.

00:09:11.908 --> 00:09:16.236
It's going to hurt any brand that affiliates with Diddy.

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Right now, when your name, your literal brand, is considered a risk.

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You've lost your most valuable asset.

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You're not just in a crisis, you're in a freefall.

00:09:27.652 --> 00:09:45.219
Sean Combs didn't just create a business, he was the brand Bad Boy Entertainment, bad Boy Records, bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group, sean John Combs, wine and Spirits, aquahydrate, revolt, media and TV.

00:09:45.219 --> 00:09:52.808
The whole thing was built around energy, edge and dominance, but now that image is turning against him.

00:09:52.808 --> 00:09:54.472
That's the shift.

00:09:54.472 --> 00:10:01.499
The same bold, brash persona that once attracted fans and deals is now considered toxic.

00:10:01.499 --> 00:10:08.977
And when brands move that quickly at least 18 have dropped him already they're not waiting for a verdict, they're protecting themselves.

00:10:08.977 --> 00:10:15.217
If you're someone who wants to prognosticate scandals, this is something that you want to watch for.

00:10:15.217 --> 00:10:19.264
When the currency changes, the brand collapses.

00:10:19.807 --> 00:10:22.455
Now let's layer in a little research and analysis.

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A recent Ugov survey found that over half of Americans believe public figures accused of abuse should lose brand deals even before legal outcomes.

00:10:30.855 --> 00:10:32.979
Then there are the articles.

00:10:32.979 --> 00:10:36.409
Rolling Stone ran a headline that said from mogul to monster.

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That's not neutral.

00:10:38.072 --> 00:10:39.817
That's moral judgment.

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It tells us.

00:10:40.845 --> 00:10:43.269
The public is no longer debating guilt.

00:10:43.269 --> 00:10:45.875
They're moving to disassociation.

00:10:45.875 --> 00:10:55.212
If you go online and search content creators who are discussing this case, the public is no longer debating guilt, they're moving to disassociation.

00:10:55.212 --> 00:10:59.054
Now let's talk strategy and silence.

00:10:59.054 --> 00:11:02.033
Now many celebrities in legal trouble go quiet.

00:11:02.033 --> 00:11:10.907
It's textbook legal advice Say nothing to avoid self-incrimination, nothing to avoid self-incrimination.

00:11:10.966 --> 00:11:14.613
But there are a lot of recent celebrities who are given legal advice where they need to subtly use PR moves.

00:11:14.613 --> 00:11:29.360
They want associates, they want the press, their publicists working overtime to plant stories, to get their version of events out there for the public to decide if they are guilty or not.

00:11:29.360 --> 00:11:45.070
So there's some influence on the jury and in some celebrity court cases Blake Lively, ryan Reynolds and yes, I'm adding his name into the case and Justin Baldoni and all the people involved we are constantly seeing the machinations play out in social media.

00:11:45.070 --> 00:11:51.072
That gets picked up in the news, but the court of public opinion moves a lot faster than the legal system.

00:11:51.072 --> 00:12:03.192
Any name that's associated with a trial, particularly in the Sean Combs trial, even someone who just attended a party hosted by Combs, is going to be thrown into the algorithm, into the digital conversation.

00:12:03.553 --> 00:12:07.890
When your brand depends on influence, associations matter more than ever.

00:12:07.890 --> 00:12:11.438
So the question can Sean Combs recover?

00:12:11.438 --> 00:12:16.155
In my view, he's already way over the reputation cliff.

00:12:16.155 --> 00:12:21.033
This isn't about rebranding, it's about being written out of the conversation.

00:12:21.033 --> 00:12:23.813
So what happens when your name becomes the crisis?

00:12:23.813 --> 00:12:28.836
Your boss's name, someone in the head of your company, someone who you work for?

00:12:29.445 --> 00:12:35.258
Here's the takeaway for leaders, communicators or anyone just trying to understand how public trust works.

00:12:35.258 --> 00:12:37.812
Build trust before the crisis.

00:12:37.812 --> 00:12:40.133
Trust comes with authenticity.

00:12:40.133 --> 00:12:44.908
Respond with clarity when it hits and lead with values.

00:12:44.908 --> 00:12:48.571
If you want to survive the backlash, any type of apology or statement has to lead with values.

00:12:48.571 --> 00:12:51.524
If you want to survive the backlash, any type of apology or statement has to lead with values.

00:12:51.524 --> 00:12:59.399
It cannot lead with placing the blame on other people, on other events, on the internet, on cancel culture.

00:12:59.399 --> 00:13:07.655
But most of all, pay attention to how fast the narrative changes, because if you're not in control of the story, someone else is.

00:13:08.565 --> 00:13:10.072
That's all for this week on the podcast.

00:13:10.072 --> 00:13:12.804
Thanks so much for listening to this week's PR Breakdown.

00:13:12.804 --> 00:13:22.580
If you learned something today, please share this episode with someone who follows the same news that you do, or perhaps works in the comp field or building a brand of their own.

00:13:22.580 --> 00:13:26.874
And if you want deeper insights like this every week, join me on Substack.

00:13:26.874 --> 00:13:29.278
Insights like this every week, join me on Substack.

00:13:29.278 --> 00:13:37.971
You can find me at Molly McPherson or you can become a member of my PR Breakdown community for access to private member sessions and workshops.

00:13:37.971 --> 00:13:40.736
I tend to hop on Substack these days for a lot of my lives.

00:13:40.736 --> 00:13:46.980
I love to do them on Friday when news is being dropped, the kind of news that wants to be hidden.

00:13:46.980 --> 00:13:57.028
So for the PR Breakdown, I'm Molly McPherson, and remember the truth is what sticks, the brand is what lasts and the story is what people believe.

00:13:57.028 --> 00:13:58.793
Until next time.

00:13:58.793 --> 00:13:59.917
Bye for now.

The Reputation Cliff: Why Some Celebrities Never Recover: Featuring the Sean Combs Trial and My NBC News Interview

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