Diddy, Downton Abbey: Rapper confirms his role in Funny or Die sketch. (VIDEO)

Diddy Joined Downton Abbey. Sort of.

Diddy Joined Downton Abbey. Sort of.

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Slate's Culture Blog
May 16 2013 11:14 AM

Diddy Joined Downton Abbey. Sort of.

diddy downton
Diddy on Downton Abbey

Funny or Die

Yesterday, a tweet from Diddy sent the Internet abuzz with a collective, “Huh?”

At first glance, the announcement from the music mogul appeared to be a hack, especially when paired with his Twitter background, changed to display the Downton Abbey logo. But it also didn’t seem entirely implausible—the producers of the show had, after all, stated that the show’s fourth season would incorporate more black characters into its storylines. And Diddy has dabbled in dramatic acting over the past few years, with roles in Monster’s Ball and the Broadway revival (and subsequent TV-movie version) of A Raisin in the Sun.

Alas, a PBS spokesperson told Daily Beast TV critic Jace Lacob that the rumor was “completely untrue.” Or was it?

Turns out Diddy did film scenes for Downton Abbey after all. Sort of. The tweet was a promo for this Funny or Die sketch, in which Diddy plays Lord Wilcott, the “first black character” on the show. (In reality, that honor goes to English performer Gary Carr.) The profanity-laden sketch is pretty funny, and the businessman known for his annual “White Party” fits in quite nicely. (By the way, there are Downton spoilers in this if you are not caught up with the show.)

Aisha Harris is a Slate culture writer and host of the Slate podcast Represent.