Gloria Estefan’s husband Emilio threatened to sue one of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ accusers over accusations related to an alleged “freak off” party at Diddy’s Miami home.
“They’re going to have some explaining to do,” Gloria, 67, told TMZ on Saturday, August 23. “I wasn’t worried about it. There was no relief needed. It’s just fantasy!”
The accusations involved an alleged incident that took place at a party for Diddy’s son Christian Combs in 2015. (Diddy and the Estefans were neighbors in Miami’s Star Island community, with Gloria and Emilio selling a home to the rapper in 2021.)
In April, Manzaro Joseph filed a lawsuit alleging that he was transported via a tunnel under Estefan’s home to Diddy’s property, where he was sexually assaulted and subjected to “degrading and non-consensual acts.” The suit initially named Emilio as a defendant, alongside Diddy, because the victim was allegedly transferred through a back gate on the Estefans’ property.
As the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs kicked off in New York City, observers were surprised to hear the names of numerous other celebrities mentioned during jury selection and various witness testimonies. When potential jurors were questioned starting May 5, they were asked about their familiarity with stars like Kanye West and former Danity Kane […]
According to Joseph, Gloria saw him in a bad state and wanted to call an ambulance, but Emilio moved his wife away from the scene. The court ultimately dismissed all allegations against Emilio on July 24 but allowed Joseph extra time to amend his lawsuit.
Speaking to TMZ on Saturday, Gloria said that she and her husband had “nothing to do” with the allegations against Diddy. She suggested they were “thrown in” on the lawsuit simply because they lived near the disgraced mogul in Star Island.
While speaking to the outlet, her husband Emilio, 72, pointed to alleged inconsistencies in the accuser’s story, such as mentioning that Jay-Z and Beyoncé were also present. (Jay-Z and Beyoncé were removed from the lawsuit in April 2025 when their attorneys offered documentation that they were not in Miami at the time of the alleged assault, according to People.)
“We were not in Miami [either]. We were here in New York,” Emilio insisted.
Emilio argued that it was not even possible to construct a tunnel on Star Island because water runs below the neighborhood.
Emilio Estefan and Gloria Estefan attend Gloria Estefan in May 2025. Romain Maurice/Getty Images
“We’re going to have to [file] a lawsuit against them because we work hard to develop a reputation for many years,” Emilio said. “We have a family, and it hurts the kids sometimes, what they hear.”
He went on, “I hope people realize … people need to be more careful when they do something like that because it really hurts a lot of people. All of the fans, everything, [were] all very concerned. I was not concerned because it’s ridiculous.”
Us Weekly exclusively reported on August 5 that Gloria penned a statement to the court in which she vehemently denied that Emilio played any role in the alleged incident. She explained that a family member and his toddler lived in the home from 2012 to 2019, and that strangers could not have passed through the property “after midnight in early April 2015” without her being notified.
“At no time was there ever any ‘tunnel’ between the two houses, at least not while we owned [the home sold to Diddy], and based on many years of experience with the City of Miami Beach, I believe this fact could have been easily verified through the public records of the City of Miami Beach,” she wrote. “I was never in [Diddy’s] house and [Diddy] was never in either our residence or family house, except after [Diddy] purchased the family house in 2021.”
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Diddy’s lawyer also denied all accusations by saying: “This complaint demonstrates the depraved lengths plaintiffs will travel to garner headlines in pursuit of a payday. No sane person reading this complaint could credit this story. [Diddy] looks forward to having his day in court where these lies – and the perverse motives of those who told them – will be revealed.”
Joseph’s lawsuit is separate from Diddy’s federal trial in New York City, where he was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering in July. He was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and could face up to 20 years in prison.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
