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50 Cent on Diddy smear campaign, Courtney Kemp and his mom

The Variety interview nearly stalled when the rapper and producer, juggling forty projects across twelve networks, couldn't join a Zoom; the link was sent three times.

On air: Chip Darnell and Vera Bullock on The Weekend Shift
Published 11:21 AM ET, Saturday, October 17, 2026

Photo: Senior Airman Nia Jacobs · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

Photo: 50 Cent — Photo: Senior Airman Nia Jacobs · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

At a glance

First reported by Variety: “50 Cent Opens Up About Diddy’s Secret Smear Campaign Against Him, Why He Won’t Work With Courtney Kemp Again and Learning His Mom Was Gay: ‘I’m Not Ashamed of That in Any Way’”.
Covered on BBN on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 11:21 AM ET on The Weekend Shift, by Chip Darnell and Vera Bullock.
Topics: Diddy.
BBN covered this story before: Trump's midterm blitz hits red states; Diddy moved; $10 gas (October 17).

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

Variety50 Cent Opens Up About Diddy’s Secret Smear Campaign Against Him, Why He Won’t Work With Courtney Kemp Again and Learning His Mom Was Gay: ‘I’m Not Ashamed of That in Any Way’

What BBN said about it

Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorVariety sat down with 50 Cent, who opens up about Diddy's alleged smear campaign against him, why he won't work with Courtney Kemp again, and learning his mom was gay, which he says he isn't ashamed of in any way.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorAnd the interview almost didn't happen, because he couldn't log in to the Zoom. Three links were sent, by Variety's count.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorThree links! I love that so much.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorHe has forty projects on twelve networks, and the one thing that beat him was a button that says Join.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorForty projects. I can't keep one houseplant alive, and he's running a small country.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorTwelve networks.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorSomewhere in there is a fourth link, and I bet the password is on a sticky note, stuck to the wrong show.