Brother Love, our very own P. Diddy, was about to experience some serious hate as trash reporter and conspiracy spreader Martin Bashir marked him as the subject for one of his projects.
Puffy’s former publicist Rob Shuter, host of the podcast “Naughty But Nice with Rob” told OK Magazine that Bashir, after tearing down Princess Diana by showing a fake abortion “receipt” and dragging Michael Jackson, wanted to target the Bad Boy executive.
“I had an encounter with Martin Bashir that I’ve never talked about,” Shuter said. “So after Martin did his Princess Diana interview, his next bombshell was Michael Jackson. He did the huge Michael Jackson interview and within months, Martin called me himself to meet me to do Diddy. He wanted Diddy, Puff Daddy, to be the next one in the trilogy.
“He took me to dinner at The Soho House. He worked me and worked me. He flirted with me. He emailed me. He played and he giggled all to get Diddy. As a publicist, you present a lot of opportunities to your clients, but you don’t get the final say,” Shuter continued. “So, I spoke to Puff and was like, ‘Martin Bashir wants to do you next after Michael Jackson.’ Puff was like, ‘Hell no! I’m not sitting down with him.’”
In related news, Michael Jackson’s relatives are reportedly considering legal action against Bashir, accusing him of using “manipulated footage” in his 2003 documentary about the late King of Pop.
The “Thriller” hitmaker’s brother Tito and his son Taj – Michael’s nephew – called out Bashir after he was found to have used deceptive practices to secure his controversial BBC interview with Princess Diana back in 1995.
The Jacksons are outraged by the findings and have turned the spotlight on the reporter’s work in the “Living with Michael Jackson” documentary, which took fans behind the scenes of the pop icon’s life at his Neverland Ranch in California and focused on his close relationships with young boys amid allegations of child molestation.
In the documentary, Michael was shown holding hands with 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo, with whom he would also share his bed, but the musician defended his actions, telling Bashir, “Why can’t you share your bed? That’s the most loving thing to do, to share your bed with someone.”
The film footage prompted prosecutors to investigate the controversial relationship, and the singer, who had previously denied child sexual abuse claims in 1993, was subsequently charged with multiple accusations of molestation but was cleared of all counts in a 2005 trial.
Now Tito and Taj insist the tragic superstar also fell foul of Bashir’s shady tactics.
Taj told Britain’s Sunday Mirror: “Bashir’s manipulated footage and unethically journalism is one of the main reasons my uncle Michael is not here today.
“That 2005 trial broke him. Shame on those who provided cover for Bashir. Shame on those who rewarded him. My family deserves an investigation and apology too.”
And Tito added, “Both Michael and Diana were victims of Bashir’s dark ambitions and dirty tricks and he is finally paying a price.”
Michael’s ex-bodyguard, Matt Fiddes, claims the Jackson family is currently weighing up its legal options. The King of Pop died from a cardiac arrest in 2009 following a fatal mixture of prescription drugs. He was 50.