T.D. Jakes Denies Ties to Diddy Scandal Sharing '44,000 AI Bots Released on Me'
The Potter's House founder, T.D. Jakes contended that the spread of misinformation concerning his connection to disgraced rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs came from 44,000 AI bots and social media. "It was 44,000 bots that were released on me," the bishop told John Hope Bryant in a recent episode of the "Money and Wealth" podcast. Jakes was involved in several legal battles in the past year. In 2024, he was named in a lawsuit against Combs, linking the two together as part of Combs' "freak-off" parties. At the present time, the rap mogul is awaiting sentencing after a split verdict in his sex-trafficking lawsuit.
Additionally, Jakes filed a defamation lawsuit against Duane Youngblood, who accused him of sexual assault and contended that Youngblood's "extortion" attempt resulted in a health scare for the bishop, who suffered a medical emergency last November during a Sunday morning service.
Jakes previously collaborated with Combs in 2021 to broadcast his sermons to Combs' cable TV network, Church Leaders reported.
During the podcast, Jakes told Bryan that the rumors were "kinda water under the bridge," noting that "if there were anything there, the FBI would have been in it."
Regarding his health scare, Jakes noted, "You would find it on the six o'clock news."
Overall, the bishop argued that "we have got to stop getting our information from TikTok" because false rumors can destroy one's reputation.
He lamented that the "most painful part" of rumors is the toll they take on family members.
"Surviving all of that is difficult and painful, but it goes with the territory," he said. "You cannot become distracted by the naysayers and lose sight of the vision and the purpose of what you're trying to build."
Without going into details about the podcast episode, Bryant wrote on Instagram, "Let's put an end to this toxic trend of Black people tearing down Black people. Too much clickbait, too much hate."
Earlier this month, Jakes passed on the roles of senior pastor to his daughter at the interdenominational Potter's House to daughter Sarah Jakes Roberts and her husband, Touré Roberts.
Regarding what the bishop's next steps are, Jakes said he wants to focus on building mixed-income communities—such as through his 10-year partnership with Wells Fargo. He is also launching a network and starting a podcast called "My Next Chapter" this fall to help people work together and learn from each other.
"There's not enough of any one group of people to run this planet," Jakes told Bryant. "I want to use [my] platform to put the smart people up there and take notes so that we can all learn together and teach our children and grandchildren that life does not end and begin with scrolling on your phone."
WATCH: Faith, Focus & Finance: T.D. Jakes x John Hope Bryant
Photo Credit: ©YouTube screengrab/John Hope Bryant
Originally published July 23, 2025.
