Diddy organized Thanksgiving dinner for 1,000 inmates

On his first Thanksgiving in federal confinement, Sean “Diddy” Combs wasn’t interested in disappearing into the routine of prison life.

Locked up at FCI Fort Dix in central New Jersey since October 30, the Hip-Hop mogul found a way to turn one of the bleakest days of the year for incarcerated people into something that felt almost like home.

What emerged was an unlikely holiday operation — equal parts improvisation, leadership, and sheer determination from Diddy — that fed roughly 1,000 inmates across every housing unit in the prison.

A Holiday Mission Behind the Fence

Thanksgiving in federal prison is rarely more than a date on the calendar. Meals are served quickly, trays clatter, and the day moves on without ceremony. But this year, Diddy reportedly organized a group of inmates known as the Bankroll Bosses to ensure the holiday would mean something.

“Thanksgiving, to me, is about making sure other people eat,” Diddy told TMZ through his rep. “Everybody misses their family. People get depressed during the holidays. We just wanted to come together as a family and do our own thing.”

Their “own thing” turned into a full-blown culinary project — one that stretched across two days of planning, hustling, and makeshift cooking inside one of the country’s largest federal prisons.

Two Days, Zero Kitchen, and One Big Idea

With no stoves, no microwaves, and no traditional tools, the team relied on whatever the commissary offered and whatever they could repurpose. ID cards became makeshift knives. Hot water, creativity, and patience did the rest.

B.I., a former gang leader who helped organize the effort, described the scale with the pride of someone who’d pulled off the impossible.

“We cooked the food and sent it to all the buildings,” he said. “Enough for about 200 people in each building. It took two days to prep everything.”

The menu wasn’t disclosed — but it wasn’t really about the food. It was about community in a place where community rarely survives.

A Surprising Adjustment

In recent weeks, snippets of Diddy’s life inside Fort Dix have trickled out — video of him working institutional jobs, updates passed through visitors, glimpses of a man navigating a new and rigid world. And by all accounts, he’s leaned into the structure, the camaraderie, and the surprising sense of solidarity.

“There’s a lot of misinterpretations about prison,” he said. “There is a strong brotherhood. We all look out for each other. It’s nothing but a positive thing. It’s like a little bit of home in a dark place.”

It’s a sentiment that has caught many observers off guard: the mogul, the businessman, the industry titan now describing life behind bars as a place of unexpected connection.

Leading From the Inside

The Thanksgiving project fits into a broader pattern emerging from Diddy’s time at Fort Dix. While serving a 50-month federal sentence for two Mann Act convictions related to transporting individuals for prostitution, Diddy has remained active, visible, and determined to maintain his sense of leadership.

Diddy was originally confined at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, for a year. He was transferred to Fort Dix earlier this fall, where he has continued to work, organize, and build connections with other inmates.

Outside the prison walls, speculation has swirled about whether he could be released earlier than expected, especially after his son King Combs fueled rumors with comments suggesting a possible holiday homecoming. But legal experts have urged caution. While Diddy has been granted an expedited appeal schedule, a rapid overturn is unlikely.

Finding Purpose in a Dark Season

For now, the music executive remains focused on where he is — not where he hopes to be. And this Thanksgiving, that meant feeding an entire prison with nothing but resourcefulness, teamwork, and the will to shape the day into something meaningful.