Image of Kamala Harris with American rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs is fake

What’s being claimed?

Social media users have shared an image of Kamala Harris, the current U.S. Vice President and Democratic Presidential candidate, posing with American rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs, claiming that Harris' team spent over $5 million to remove the picture from the internet. Combs was arrested on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering on September 16. He is currently in federal custody, awaiting trial for multiple suits filed against him. 

The viral image featuring Harris with Combs is accompanied by the text: ''Kamala's team has spent more than $5 million having images of her with Sean "P. Diddy" Combs bleached from the internet. It would be such a shame if this made the rounds.''

An X (formerly Twitter) user shared this image and captioned it, ''It's always been one big club.''The post received 25,000 likes and 13,000 reposts when writing this fact-check. Similar claims can be found here and here. 

Screenshots of the viral post circulating on social media. (Source: X/Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, our investigation found that the image had been digitally altered to add Harris' face.

Here are the facts

We found some inconsistencies in the photograph shared online, specifically around Harris' hair. We noticed braids on top of Harris’ otherwise straight hair, and the hair near her ear was also unnaturally blurred. In addition, the area around her chin is two-toned, all of which indicate digital manipulation of the image. 

Discrepancies in the image shared online (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

Through a reverse image search, we found the original photo on Getty Images (archived here), dated 2019. The photo shows American stylist Misa Hylton, Combs' ex-girlfriend, standing beside him, suggesting that Harris' face has been superimposed onto Hylton's. 

The image caption reads, "LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 14: (L-R) Sean Combs and Misa Hylton attend Sean Combs 50th Birthday Bash presented by Ciroc Vodka on December 14, 2019 in Los Angeles, California." The image was attributed to photographer Kevin Mazur. Combs' attire and the people in the background match the viral image.

Comparison of the viral image with the original photo by Getty Images. (Source: X/Getty Images)

Furthermore, People magazine also published the original image in an article dated May 21, 2024, with the caption "Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Misa Hylton in Los Angeles in December 2019." Similarly, US Weekly (archived here) also shared the image on its Instagram account and credited Getty Images. 

The verdict

The viral image featuring Kamala Harris and Sean 'Diddy' Combs is digitally manipulated. The original image features American stylist Misa Hylton standing with Sean Combs at his 50th birthday party in Los Angeles in 2019.