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"I hope it encourages more to come forward and share their stories."
John Legend‘s longtime manager, Ty Stiklorius, recently opened up about her “terrifying” experience with Diddy.
In an Op-Ed published for The New York Times, Stiklorius recalls 27 years working in the music industry and laments the “pervasive predatory culture” of the business. The veteran took to Instagram the day the piece was published to give insight into her decision to pen a story centered on “a pervasive, painful truth in the music industry.”
“For too long, sexual misconduct has been treated as an open secret – a pattern that remains unchanged as power continues to be wielded without accountability. I’m speaking out in hopes that we can finally confront the reality of what so many have endured and commit to building a safer, more respectful industry for everyone,” her post reads. “I hope it encourages more to come forward and share their stories.”
The Music Industry Is Toxic. After P. Diddy, We Can Clean It Up recounts Ty Stiklorius attending a Combs New Year’s Eve yacht party. During this “terrifying” incident, Stiklorius remembers being invited into a room by a man who “seemed to be an associate” of Combs, and she was able to persuade him to let her leave the room. Stiklorius admitted that she thought nothing of the guy’s actions at the time; allegations against Diddy over sex trafficking and abuse led her to rethink the experience altogether.
“It was an indicator,” Stiklorius said. “Power has been concentrated in the hands of kingmakers: wealthy, entitled, nearly always male gatekeepers who control nearly every door that leads to success and who can, without consequence, use their power to abuse young women and young men.”
As the music vet continued, Ty spoke about women’s safety and opined that there was never a time that ladies felt security or protection in the industry, and Combs’ case is a prime example of this.
Ty then stated that Diddy’s case could potentially lead to a “Me Too” moment before using R. Kelly and Harvey Weinstein as examples of how this could be tricky.
Nonetheless, Stiklorius wrote that she feels there is a way forward to make the industry safer for women. She indirectly called on men to be allies to women in the business, recalling how her “college friend,” aka John Legend, gave her a shot at making her mark in the industry with zero creepy strings attached.
“After P. Diddy’s arrest, some observers wondered whether the industry would finally face a ‘# MeToo’ reckoning. But reducing the scourge of sexual coercion, harassment, and violence to a few notorious individuals —whether Harvey Weinstein or R. Kelly—suggests they’re outliers and obscures the more damning, stubborn, systemic rot that had infected the music business.
“My early experiences with predators, and those that enabled them, nearly led me to give up on the music business. A few years after the boat incident…I attended a dinner where a senior music executive slipped his key card to me under the table…I declined,” Ty added. “I only persisted in the industry because, in 2005, an old college friend who was starting to find success as an artist reached out to me. That artist was John Legend and, 20 years later, I am still his manager and partner in multiple business ventures. It turns out that many artists, including John, want to be a part of a different model of business and culture.”
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