Joe Jonas seemingly avoided making a reference to Sean “Diddy” Combs during a recent concert.
While performing with the Jonas Brothers at the LDLC Arena in Paris on Saturday, September 28, the 35-year-old appeared to switch up the lyrics to his band DNCE’s song “Cake By the Ocean.”
In the chorus, Jonas typically sings, “Walk for me, baby / I’ll be Diddy, you’ll be Naomi, woah-oh,” as a nod to Diddy’s relationship with supermodel Naomi Campbell back in the early 2000s.
According to concert footage shared via social media, Jonas took the song in a different direction. While the sound is slightly muffled, some fans theorized that Jonas sang “Watts,” referring to actress Naomi Watts instead. Others wondered whether the rapper’s name was replaced with “Martin,” sparking a debate in the comments section.
Before the Paris show, the Jonas Brothers performed in London and Madrid in September, but Jonas made no alterations to the song lyrics.
Jonas isn’t the only musician modifying references to Diddy following the rapper’s legal trouble and recent indictment. Earlier this year, Kesha revealed that she dropped Diddy’s name in her hit song “TikTok,” which famously begins with the line, “Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy.”
During a surprise appearance at Coachella with Reneé Rapp in April, Kesha took the stage and sang, “Wake up in the morning like f— P. Diddy.” One month later, Kesha announced that the new lyric was permanent.
@dncejonas we love joe jonas 💗💗 @TikTok @joejonas @DNCE 🎥: @Ophé 🦋 #joejonas #nickjonas #kevinjonas #jonasbrothers #jobros #JONAS #DNCE #cakebytheocean #pdiddy #fyp #viral #getviews #likes #dncejonas
“The fans should learn it for my upcoming shows. I want to hear it louder than ever,” the singer said to TMZ. “I stand by that.”
Maren Morris also tweaked the lyrics to her song “Rich” during the Bourbon & Beyond music festival in Louisville, Kentucky, earlier this month.
Instead of singing, “Boy, I’d be rich, head to toe Prada / Benz in the driveway, yacht in the water / Vegas at the Mandarin, high roller gambling / Me and Diddy drippin’ diamonds like Marilyn,” Morris omitted Diddy’s moniker.
Diddy was arrested on September 16 and taken into custody after being indicted by a grand jury. He was accused of abusing, threatening and coercing women for years “to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct,” per the indictment.
He was later charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution. Diddy has denied all the allegations and pleaded not guilty. He is currently in jail as he awaits trial.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Diddy’s attorney Marc Agnifilo told Us Weekly in a statement after the arrest. “Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children and working to uplift the Black community.”
