Kevin Hart didn’t hold back during his opening monologue at the 2025 BET Awards on Monday night at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The comedian made a sharp joke about Diddy without mentioning his name directly.
Hart told the audience, “I’m shutting down the idea of after parties. No after parties tonight. None. Take your asses home after this.” He explained that he chose to host the awards on a Monday because “people have to go to work tomorrow.”
He added, “No after parties. That’s where things get slippery at those goddamn after parties. We’re learning a lot about people, aren’t we?”
The joke was a clear reference to Diddy, whose real name is Sean Combs. Diddy became famous for throwing lavish white parties in the 1990s and 2000s. More recently, he has been linked to alleged “freak-off” sex parties that involved multiple partners and sex workers. Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, Combs’ ex-girlfriend, testified that he requested many bottles of baby oil at these gatherings.
While Hart’s joke made the audience laugh, social media users on X (formerly Twitter) were divided over the humor.
Diddy was arrested in September and faces serious federal charges, including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. If convicted, the record producer could face life in prison.
