Mike Tyson says he personally passed along a letter from Sean “Diddy” Combs to President Trump, asking for a presidential pardon on the imprisoned music mogul’s behalf.
The retired heavyweight champion, 60, discussed the errand during an episode of SiriusXM’s “Andy Cohen Live” released Thursday. Host Andy Cohen asked Tyson whether he was close with Combs, who is serving time at Fort Dix federal prison in New Jersey.
“Yeah, I’m friendly with Puff,” Tyson said, using Combs’ earlier stage name, Puff Daddy.
When Cohen asked if Tyson still had contact with Combs, Tyson said he had “spoke to him once on the phone,” during which Combs asked for a favor.
“He wanted me to give a letter to the president,” Tyson said.
Cohen pressed further, asking directly if Tyson had given a letter to Trump from Combs. “I did what he told me to do,” Tyson replied, without elaborating.
This isn’t the first time the story has surfaced. Back in January, sources told The US Sun that Tyson had hand-delivered a pardon request to Trump at someone’s urging within Combs’ inner circle. One source told the outlet that Tyson was initially unsure what the letter contained, then was told it was a pardon request, and that he “was feeling nervous about it, but agreed to take it to the White House when he visited.” The source added that Tyson later confirmed he had handed the letter to Trump directly, doing “exactly what Diddy’s lot had asked of him.”
An attorney for Combs confirmed in August 2025 that his legal team had reached out to the Trump administration regarding a pardon. But Trump has given no indication he’s willing to grant one. The New York Times reported in January that Trump acknowledged Combs had “asked me for a pardon” through a letter but said he was not considering it.
In October, the White House pushed back on a separate TMZ report claiming Trump might release Combs from prison that week, calling the report fabricated. “There is zero truth to the TMZ report, which we would’ve gladly explained had they reached out before running their fake news,” the administration said in a statement, adding that “the President, not anonymous sources, is the final decider on pardons and commutations.”
Combs was convicted in July 2025 on two counts of transportation for prostitution but acquitted on more serious charges of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and racketeering conspiracy. He is now serving a 50-month sentence at the low-security federal prison in Fort Dix, New Jersey. He was reportedly moved to solitary confinement after reports surfaced describing a lavish lifestyle behind bars, including alcohol, a contraband cellphone and special treatment from other inmates.
The Post reached out to the White House for comment.
