Speaking Up: Austrian Journalist Kathi Steininger Details Alleged Encounter with P. Diddy
- by Neele Fromm
- 3 Min
Austrian TV Host Discusses Encounter with P. Diddy During Live Broadcast - TV host in Austria shares account of encounter with P. Diddy during talk show appearance
With a steady voice, Kathi Steininger shares her story. "I was raped," she states firmly, her eyes welling with tears. It's been 25 years since that fateful night, and still, it's a struggle to discuss what happened. Yet, she perseveres, revealing the dark chapter in her life that's only recently come to light.
Her meeting with Sean "Diddy" Combs, scheduled after his concert in Vienna for an interview, didn't go as planned. Instead, Kathi Steininger faces ongoing psychological difficulties and post-traumatic stress disorder from the alleged assault by the rapper. It wasn't until years later that she mustered the courage to disclose her experience to her family. In the TV magazine "Treffpunkt Österreich," Kathi Steininger, now 44, recounts the alleged incident.
Kathi Steininger's career began in the early 2000s within Austria's media landscape. She gained fame as the host of the boulevard magazine "Spotlights," a weekly broadcast on Austria 9 TV. However, her TV career came to an end with the station's closure in 2012, and a series of break-ins at her home and her then-husband's company prompted her to leave television altogether. Post-divorce in 2021, Kathi Steininger has pursued new ventures, becoming a certified fitness instructor and spokesperson for a diet product. Today, she resides in Vienna with her two sons.
"I felt ashamed," she reflects today. It wasn't until the public dialogue surrounding P. Diddy's sexual violence that Kathi Steininger found the strength to speak up. "I wish for a punishment for what he did to me," she states in her interview with Puls 24. The incident allegedly occurred on March 28, 2000, following a concert at the Vienna "Libro Music Hall." Kathi, just 19 at the time and acting as a journalist, was led away from her familiar camera operator and producer by Combs' bodyguards, who claimed it was too loud for an interview. They escorted her to one of the tour buses — both men confirm this account to Puls 24.
There, Combs offered her a drink, which Kathi suspects was spiked with a knockout drug. Upon reading reports of other victims, she came to the realization: "My drink was manipulated. I would never have gone to bed with that man." Combs poured the drink himself, Kathi claims: "I was fully conscious, but my body allowed it."
Kathi Steininger reached out to the US Attorney's Office investigating Diddy in the spring of 2024. Since the alleged assault took place in Europe, a US court initially rejected her direct involvement. Nevertheless, the authorities were grateful for her cooperation and spent months questioning her beforehand. Kathi subsequently filed a complaint in Austria. The Vienna Public Prosecutor's Office acknowledged receipt of the complaint but initially suspended the investigation "pending later prosecution." The reason was that, while the act is time-barred in Austria, it could be reassessed legally if Combs is convicted in the US.
Despite her inability to testify as a witness, Kathi Steininger remains undeterred: "It's not over — we're right in the middle of it." She hopes her story will help reveal "the nature of this man." Her public declaration is part of a wave of support among victims, following singer Cassie Ventura's lawsuit filed in November 2023. Over 120 victims have come forward with serious allegations against Combs, with trial proceedings against the musician commencing in May 2025, where he faces charges of rape, human trafficking, and organized crime.
- P. Diddy
- Austria
- Sean Combs
[1] https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/05/entertainment/everything-you-need-to-know-sean-combs-sexual-assault-lawsuit/index.html
[2] https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/lawsuits-against-p-diddy-why-multiple-women-coming-forward-1235129506/
[3] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65784412
[4] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/03/arts/music/p-diddy-trial-rape-sex-trafficking.html
[5] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/sean-diddy-combs-trial-b2161702.html
P. Diddy, or Sean Combs, is currently facing charges of rape, human trafficking, and organized crime in a trial set to commence in May 2025, following allegations from over 120 victims, including Austria's Kathi Steininger, who shared her story of an alleged assault by the rapper in 2000. Entertainment news outlets have been covering this general-news story extensively, as well as the ongoing investigations and legal proceedings involving celebrities like P. Diddy and crime-and-justice issues.
