Source: Jemal Countess / Getty
Diddy says he planned on recreating his Joker costume for Halloween this year, but was legally blocked from doing so. It seems that Warner Bros., –who hold the rights to the likeness of the Joker– had an issue with Diddy’s portraying the character.
Diddy is known for his elaborate Halloween costumes, dressing as Pennywise in 2021 despite his known aversion to clowns. Last year’s Joker costume was accurate down to the “weapon” he carried while running amok in Hollywood. He was so convincing that he and Power actor Michael Ferguson almost got into a fistfight when Ferguson didn’t recognize him.
But fast forward to this year, Diddy told Jimmy Kimmel that Warner Bros. sent him a lengthy cease-and-desist letter telling him that he could not dress up as the character for Halloween.
“[Warner Bros.] said it broke their trademark, that I did it too good. I swear I have this letter. I swear to God. … From Warner Bros.,” he said on Jimmy Kimmel Live. He also recounted the same story on social media, showing what he said were the multiple pages of the cease and desist letter.
“I will say to the motherf-cker who took this time – and I’m not even going to show all the business on the papers – I’m not going to be the Joker this year, just because yo a-s had the time to f-ck up my Halloween, that I’m not going to be the Joker,” he said.
Well, Diddy did as he promised.
Instead of being the Joker this year, he showed up as Batman with a Batmobile and a full production focused on the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. In the vignette, Diddy forces a Hollywood producer type to agree that the strike is over (though he doesn’t specify) and cuts to a shot of him dressed as the Joker again.
(The SAG-AFTRA strike is not over, though there are promising signs it’s coming to an end as the two sides have met this week.)
We’re figuring that Diddy will get an even longer cease and desist letter from Warner Bros. this time, as he dubbed the clip #TheDarkestKnight. Welp, we figure he has good lawyers.
Watch the clip below.
