It was the summer of 1999 and Sean “Diddy” Combs’ infamous White Party, one of the most exclusive and talked-about events of the season, was widely anticipated. But for six-year-old Justin Litovsky, whose parents unknowingly brought him along to the July 3 afternoon barbecue, the party left a baffling impression.
According to the New York Post, Justin, now 30, still remembers the day vividly.He had no idea that he had just stumbled into one of the summer’s wildest gatherings.
“I remember a lot of weed and a bunch of topless women in the pool and around the pool,” Justin told the New York Post.
For young Justin, the pool was the main attraction. “Anytime we went anywhere with a pool, I wanted to swim,” he said. But the sight around the water left him confused.
His mother, Maya Litovsky, didn’t share her son’s curiosity. “I did not give my son the opportunity to get in there,” she said, reflecting on how inappropriate the scene was for a child. Maya, who was unsure how her family had even gained access to such an event, found herself increasingly uncomfortable. “There were bottles everywhere and naked women. I wasn’t sure if this was appropriate or normal.”
The guest list included several well-known names of the entertainment world including Jay-Z, puffing on a Cohiba, Lil’ Kim, Donna Karan, and supermodel Tyson Beckford.
Yet despite the adult themes, there were no signs that Diddy or his team had concerns about Justin’s presence. Justin’s father, renowned photographer David Allen, had brought the family to the event as part of his job, snapping photos of the celebrities in attendance. “My dad got me in pictures with a lot of people,” Justin recalled. But even with such star power around him, Justin couldn’t shake a sense of unease. “I don’t look like I have a normal smile in the pic,” he said, reflecting on how he might have been unsettled by the chaos around him.
As the evening wore on, Maya made the decision to leave before the party reached its more notorious peaks. “We didn’t see people having sex, but we left at 9:30 pm,” she said. “The party continued, and nobody was getting out of the pool. So, who knows what happened.”
The memory of that night faded over the years, until it resurfaced recently in a much darker context. Last month, Diddy was arrested by federal agents on charges including racketeering and sex trafficking. Now in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, awaiting trial, he has pleaded not guilty to the charges.