A resurfaced video of Diddy introducing his "adopted" daughter has folks concerned for the girls' well-being in the wake of Diddy's arrest and indictment ... but we've learned he was never her father, despite his claims.
Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Diddy never legally adopted the little girl, Ava, from the 2020 video, despite claiming on Instagram Live he adopted her because he wanted her to have a "Black parent."
The footage seems relevant, especially in the wake of all the sex trafficking allegations against Diddy, but our sources say the whole thing was a skit and has been overblown by concerned fans.
In the video, Diddy gives Ava a kiss on the cheek and says he adopted her with her mother's permission ... and she tells a story about how she was "on the streets" before "Papa Combs decided that he was going to be a caring man."
We're told Ava has known Diddy and Kim Porter's teenage twin daughters, D'Lila and Jessie, since they were all little ... and she has her own real parents who are caring for her.
Our sources say Ava's parents were friends with Kim and she remains close with D'Lila and Jessie ... but Diddy's never had a parental role with her, legally or otherwise, and he hasn't been in her life recently, with her family keeping their distance from him.
Diddy's sons have been supporting him through his legal woes in New York, but as we've told you ... his 17-year-old daughters are hanging back in California with a family friend.