Diddy believes he's getting the short end of the stick from Diageo, which co-owns Puff's DeLeon brand tequila.
According to his lawsuit against the spirits giant, they stopped promoting and limited the distribution of DeLeon after they purchased George Clooney's Casamigos tequila for a billion dollars in 2017.
Diddy alleges that Diageo execs labeled DeLeon a "Black" brand that should only be targetted to "urban" audiences. (The suit says they've done the same with his Chiroq vodka brand.)
In addition, he says Diageo didn’t give agave to DeLeón during a shortage in 2020 and 2021 but made sure to keep Casamigos fully stocked with the essential tequila ingredient.
Casamigos has about 13 percent of the tequila market while DeLeon is less than one percent.
“Cloaking itself in the language of diversity and equality is good for Diageo’s business, but it is a lie,” the lawsuit said. “While Diageo may conspicuously include images of its Black partners in advertising materials and press releases, its words only provide the illusion of inclusion.”
He is seeking billions. Diago denies race has anything to do with their business decisions.