Kristina Khorram, who spent more than four years as Sean “Diddy” Combs’ chief of staff, has taken on a senior role with Usher’s touring operation, one of at least three former Combs staffers now working for the singer, according to Rolling Stone, which broke the story Sept. 24.
Former Combs Staffers Now Working for Usher
Khorram ran Combs’ day-to-day operations from 2020 until his arrest in September 2024, capping more than a decade inside his orbit, according to Rolling Stone. She is now part of the team behind “The R&B Tour,” the 56-date co-headlining run pairing Usher with Chris Brown that was announced in April and continues through December, The Source reported. Her precise title has not been disclosed, and a spokesperson for Usher declined to detail her responsibilities, Rolling Stone reported.
Two other former Combs employees have also passed through Usher’s operation this year. A former personal assistant who worked for Combs from December 2021 to September 2024 was granted immunity to testify against him at his criminal trial and later joined the tour, but has since been let go, EURweb reported.
A videographer who worked on a Combs documentary before his arrest has also worked with the Usher operation, according to TMZ. Combs was convicted in July 2025 on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution under the Mann Act. A jury acquitted him of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, the two most serious charges he faced. He is serving a 50-month sentence at FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey, and his appeal is pending before the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Khorram’s New Role Contrasts With Assistant’s Exit
The gap between how the two women’s post-Combs paths have played out is stark. Khorram was never charged with a crime and never testified at Combs’ trial, even though prosecutors referenced her repeatedly while describing how his inner circle operated, according to Rolling Stone. She has since moved into a senior position on one of the year’s biggest R&B tours.
The former personal assistant, by contrast, cooperated with federal prosecutors under a grant of immunity, testified against her former boss and has now quietly exited Usher’s tour, EURweb reported.
Khorram has publicly denied any wrongdoing. Responding to allegations referenced during Combs’ trial, she has called the accusations “beyond upsetting, disturbing, and unthinkable” and said she “never condoned or aided and abetted the sexual assault of anyone.” Those allegations were made in the context of civil litigation and prosecutors’ trial narrative, not a criminal charge against her, and she has not been indicted.
Neither Usher’s team nor Khorram has explained why she was brought on or what led to the assistant’s departure from the tour. Rolling Stone reported that it remains unclear who within Usher’s organization made the hiring decisions, or whether the two moves were connected.
Usher’s Long History With Combs
Usher’s ties to Combs date back more than three decades. Record executive L.A. Reid connected the two when Usher was a teenager, and Combs went on to executive-produce Usher’s 1994 debut album, according to The Source. The two later shared a stage during Bad Boy Records’ 2016 reunion tour.
Usher has continued to speak favorably of Combs even after the criminal case. In a March 2026 appearance on Forbes’ “The Enterprise Zone,” he said, “I don’t have anything negative to say about Sean Combs because my experience was not what the world has seen and how he’s been misrepresented.” Asked to sum up Combs in a single word, Usher said, “Legacy,” The Source reported.
That interview aired months before the staffing arrangement became public, meaning Usher’s defense of Combs was already on the record before anyone outside his organization knew three people from Combs’ pre-arrest circle were working for him.
The sequence leaves an open question about whether the hires reflect a broader continuity between the two camps or simply the ordinary movement of experienced tour and production staff between major artists who have long known each other.
Usher has not commented specifically on the hires of Khorram, the former assistant or the videographer.
The overlap is notable given how small the world of top-tier tour management remains. Chiefs of staff, videographers and personal assistants who worked for a superstar with Combs’ scale of operation carry skills routing, logistics, talent handling that are in demand across the touring industry regardless of who they worked for previously.
That reality cuts against reading the hires as a political statement, even as it does not erase the discomfort of Combs’ former chief of staff stepping into a senior post on a tour headlined by a friend who continues to praise him publicly.
What Happens Next
“The R&B Tour” continues through December, with Usher and Chris Brown scheduled to perform across North America in the coming months. Neither Usher’s representatives nor Khorram have said whether she will remain with the tour through its final dates or take on a similar role for future Usher projects. Combs’ appeal of his Mann Act convictions remains before the 2nd Circuit, a process that could take months to resolve and that will not affect the racketeering and sex-trafficking counts on which he was already acquitted.
How Usher’s organization handles further questions about its staffing, and whether other members of Combs’ former inner circle surface in similar roles elsewhere in the industry, remains to be seen.
