Sean "Diddy” Combs is a proud father of seven, including twin daughters Jessie and D’Lila Combs.
He welcomed his twins with his girlfriend Kim Porter in 2006. The pair split in 2007 but maintained a close friendship and co-parenting relationship until Porter died in 2018.
The “Bad Boys For Life” rapper told Essence in April 2019 that his former partner’s sudden death pushed him to be more involved with his family.
"Before this, I was a part-time father, you know?" he said. "My family was always first, but there are countless times when I chose work over everything else. But every day I can hear her telling me to go and spend some time with the kids and make sure everybody's all right, like she would do. I'm just a lot more present, and, most important, now my kids come before anything else in my life."
The twins shared their appreciation for the quality time with Diddy in a sweet Father’s Day tribute to him on their joint Instagram account in June 2022. “HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO THE BEST DAD IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND COULDNT IMAGINE LIFE WITHOUT YOU. YOU ARE SO SUPPORTIVE, LOVING, AND CARING. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO. LOVE YA,” they wrote.
From the meaning behind their names to their modeling careers, here’s everything to know about Sean “Diddy” Combs’ twins, Jessie and D’Lila Combs.
They were born in 2006
Diddy and Porter welcomed their twins, Jessie James and D’Lila Star, on Dec. 21, 2006.
“Diddy received an early Christmas gift! It gives us great joy to announce the arrival of Diddy’s twin girls,” his rep told PEOPLE at the time. “The beautiful, healthy baby girls were born this morning with Diddy by mother Kim Porter’s side."
Diddy's rep added, “The first arrived at 7:56 a.m. weighing 5 lbs., followed 2 minutes later by the second at 5 lbs., 4 oz. Diddy had a plane on standby in Toronto where he is filming Raisin in the Sun and made it just in the nick of time for the delivery. Both Kim and the girls are doing great.”
Although Diddy and Porter split in 2007, they remained committed to being co-parents to their four children. (In addition to the twins, the pair also share sons Quincy and Christian.)
"In ending this relationship, I made a decision that was in the best interest of myself, Sean and our family,” Porter said in a statement after their split. “I look forward to moving on with my life and my career and wish him prosperity, health and happiness in life and in love. We will remain friends and committed parents to our children."
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' 7 Kids: All About His Sons and Daughters
They’re named after their grandmothers
Jessie and D’Lila’s names have very special meanings for both Diddy and Porter. In a video announcing the birth of their twins, the rapper revealed the inspiration behind each of their names.
“There’s two very important people that have influenced me and Kim’s life, and that’s our grandmothers,” he said in the video. “And probably like y’all out there, you know your grandmother, you have special memories of your grandmother."
Diddy continued, "My grandmother’s not here right now, so she’s very, very special to me. My grandmother’s name was Jessie Smalls and her [Porter] grandmother’s name is Lila Star.”
They’re cheerleaders
Jessie and D’Lila are on the cheerleading squad at their Los Angeles preparatory school, Sierra Canyon School. Speaking with Rolling Out in February 2022, the twins said they had never cheered before joining the team.
“We had no experience before,” Jessie said. “I just wanted to try it because it was fun. Before this year, when I was in middle school here at Sierra, I saw the other cheerleaders cheering and it looked so much fun, I wanted to try it.”
“We have so much fun doing it,” D’Lila added.
Despite being new to the sport, D'Lila and Jessie helped their team score a major victory in February 2024 when they won a national championship. In a post on Instagram that featured photos of their team, the twins shared that they took home a trophy at a a cheerleading competition at Disneyland.
They’re aspiring models
The twins are following in their mom’s modeling footsteps. During a May 2023 interview with V Magazine, on which they also graced the cover with their sister, Chance Combs, the duo shared that they had dreamt of pursuing modeling since they were young.
“It was very inspiring, watching her [Porter] try on the clothes and take pictures,” D’Lila said. “We always would watch her and know that that’s what we wanted to do.”
In August 2021, the twins and Chance walked the runway for the Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda show in Venice, Italy. Jessie and D’Lila shared photos from the show on Instagram and wrote, “OMGGGG THIS IS LITERALLY A DREAM COME TRUE. We are so excited that we got to walk in the @dolcegabbana fashion show. Thank you so much for having us join the show in Venice, Italy. And we want to say a HUGE Thank You to our dad and team for helping us get through this amazing show.”
The twins have also appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair and Essence with Diddy and Chance. Last summer, they walked in the Liberty & Justice runway show during Miami Swim Week in July 2023.
They think it’s important to give back
Thanks to their parents, the twins grew up knowing the value of giving back to their community. In a YouTube video from January 2021, they documented their trip to Alexandria House, a transitional residence that serves women and children in L.A., with their sister Chance to donate special packages of customized beauty and skincare products.
"Last year and going into this year has been difficult for so many. We know how truly blessed we are, and our parents have taught us the importance of helping others," Chance, D'Lila and Jessie told PEOPLE in a statement. "It's something that we've made a goal for ourselves as we start to make our own decisions and find our paths as young women."
They added, "We have made long-lasting memories from our visit to Alexandria House."
The sisters also joined their dad in November 2022 to help serve Thanksgiving meals to 3,000 people from Miami’s homeless community through The Caring Place at the Miami Rescue Mission.
They had a Sweet 16 party in 2022
In December 2022, Jessie and D’Lila celebrated their 16th birthday with a lavish bash thrown by Diddy. The futuristic-themed event featured performances from their older brother Quincy and Coi Leray, as well as an outfit change from the twins. They first donned a pair of silver bodysuits before changing into gray two-piece ensembles with pink lining.
At the party, Diddy also presented his daughters with a pair of matching black-and-white Range Rovers. The twins thanked their dad for the celebration on Instagram when posting snaps from the party.
“We had some much fun last night. Thank you to everyone who came out. Thank youuuu @diddy for everything we had the best time ever. Love you,” they wrote in the caption.
They’re active on social media
Jessie and D’Lila are very active on their joint Instagram account, where they go by “The Combs Twins.”
The teenagers often share photos embracing their twin status by wearing matching outfits, like when they posted a photo wearing coordinating tank tops with a picture of their dad and Notorious B.I.G. on the front and black jeans.
The twins also have a joint TikTok account and a YouTube Channel, where they share glimpses of their daily lives.
They performed with Diddy at the VMAs in 2023
Jessie and D’Lila joined their dad onstage for his performance at the 2023 VMAs. They wore matching red ensembles and served as his backup dancers during his performance of “I’ll Be Missing You.”
The twins were also on hand to help present Diddy with the Global Icon Award and held up print-outs of his album cover for The Love Album: Off the Grid during his acceptance speech.
They later shared photos from the night on Instagram and praised their dad in the caption. “We are soooo proud of our amazing ICONIC Dad!!! He is our hero and deserves the world,” they wrote. “We are so happy we got to experience and celebrate this big moment with him. WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH @diddy ♥.”
They shared a Mother’s Day tribute to Porter in 2023
When Porter died in 2018 of lobar pneumonia, Diddy made sure to protect his children from hearing the news on social media. The rapper told Essence in April 2019 that he immediately jumped into action so their kids would learn of Porter’s death from him.
"I jumped into mommy mode," he said. "I sent people in every direction to try to make sure the kids would not hear about it on social media or the news. ... I had to get to the girls' school and find Quincy, who was on set in Atlanta."
In May 2023, the twins shared a tribute to their late mother on their Instagram Story.
"Happy Mother's Day Mommy🫶 We love you so much and you are always missed," they wrote alongside a family photo. "We think about you every day. Thank you for being the best mom anyone could ask for ❤️. Miss youuuu🕊️."
They’re very close with their siblings
The twins appear to be close with all their siblings, including the newest addition to their family, Love Sean. Diddy shared a video on Instagram in February 2022 of the girls playing with their baby sister and Love cooing in response.
Jessie and D’Lila also share the family love on their joint Instagram account. They often post photos with their siblings and videos from their family activities, like a hiking day in May 2022.
The duo are especially close with their sister Chance, who is five months older than them. The girls opened up about their unconditional support for each other in their May 2023 interview with V Magazine.
“We always have a support system in each other,” D’Lila said. “We are always supporting each other no matter what our goals are, what we want to do in the future.”