Cuba Gooding Jr. vehemently shut down claims that he was "touching, groping, and fondling" producer Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones Jr., whose explosive allegations against the actor were revealed in a lawsuit filed against music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs.
Jones accused the Jerry McGuire star of sexually harassing and assaulting him on a yacht rented by Combs while in the U.S. Virgin Islands in Jan. 2023, naming Gooding Jr. as a defendant in his amended complaint.
Gooding Jr. was first asked about the raids on Diddy's LA and Miami homes during his recent appearance on the PBD Podcast with host Patrick David-Bet, RadarOnline.com has learned.
"I think whatever [Diddy's] dealing with, he's on his journey, man," the actor said. "I think that God has got him on a path where — I can't imagine that he's stupid enough to do whatever he's doing and keep it on his premises. I think that the raid and all of that stuff, only time will tell – who was involved, who had been a frequent guest in these places and areas."
After being accused of improper conduct in the lawsuit, Gooding Jr. said he was shocked to hear his name on the news.
"That's the craziest thing," he said. "I wake up in the morning. I turn on the Today show [and hear] 'Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. …' Excuse me! You pull me into this?"
Gooding said he met Diddy around 2019-2020 and they hung out "two or three times," including New Year's Eve 2023, when he listened to music on Diddy's yacht with Jones.
"That picture — everyone in the room; there's probably 300 of us on the deck of P. Diddy's boat," he added, showing David-Bet a live photo from their hangout that he said disputes the "sordid" image provided by Jones.
He said that encounter happened after he jumped from star-studded yacht parties until he met up with Diddy, where he was invited to listen to a song.
"This guy who's suing him [is] going after the money, man," Gooding Jr. said. "I'm sure, and by the way, I don't know P. Diddy's life. I don't know what he's going through […] We were acquaintances, just like I just showed you."
Diddy previously denied all claims against him in a statement made via his lawyer Shawn Holley.
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"Lil Rod is nothing more than a liar who filed a $30 million lawsuit shamelessly looking for an undeserved payday," the statement read. "His reckless name-dropping about events that are pure fiction and simply did not happen is nothing more than a transparent attempt to garner headlines."
