Oprah Winfrey had a professional relationship with convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein. She previously said that they were friendly but denied knowledge of his reputation as a sexual predator. The #MeToo movement in 2017 finally exposed his disgusting behavior. The movement also sparked the downfall of many other rich and powerful men. However, the former talk show host dropped out a documentary exposing a music executive’s alleged sex abuse. Keep reading for all the details.
Music Mogul Accused Of Sexual Abuse By Multiple Women
Allegations of sexual abuse rarely lead to charges or imprisonment. Rapper P. Diddy was accused of sex trafficking singer Cassie Ventura. However, he was convicted of lesser charges and sentenced to four years in prison. However, his projected release date is 2028, despite recently getting caught with contraband.
P. Diddy is one of several music moguls accused of sexual assault. Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons has been accused by dozens of women. He denies all of the allegations and hasn’t been charged. Multiple women told their stories in the 2020 documentaryOn The Record. Oprah Winfrey initially signed on as an executive producer but dropped out two weeks before it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
“I unequivocally believe and support the women,” she said at the time. Now, new court documents reveal the shocking reason why she quit.
Oprah Winfrey Quit Documentary Exposing Russell Simmons
Oprah Winfrey’s daytime talk show made her a beloved public figure. However, her friendship with Harvey Weinstein and behavior during a catastrophic tsunami hurt her reputation. She was called “callous” by the alleged victims after she pulled out of the Russell Simmons exposé.
Oprah Winfrey cited “inconsistencies” in the allegations as the reason for dropping out. New court documents reveal more details. She allegedly quit the documentary after Drew Dixon’s credibility was questioned by a friend.
Drew Dixon, a former Def Jam executive, first accused Russell Simmons of rape in 2017. She said the incident happened in 1995. She sued the music mogul for defamation in 2024 after he trashed her on a podcast.
Russell Simmons sued HBO and its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, for defamation over the documentary. In a new court filing, Drew Dixon’s attorney submitted an email correspondence between the On The Record filmmaker and Oprah Winfrey.
Page Six reported that the email reportedly includes the filmmaker reassuring Oprah about the veracity of Drew Dixon’s allegations. A friend of Oprah’s reportedly told her that Drew Dixon and Russell Simmons were romantically involved at the time of the alleged rape.
“How does any of the above lead one to conclude Drew wasn’t raped? Fame-seekers, as well as prostitutes and gold diggers, can be raped. And persons in consensual relationships can be raped,” the filmmaker wrote to Oprah.
Oprah Winfrey dropped her support of the documentary just weeks before it was set to premiere. Russell Simmons moved to Bali in 2018 amid the sex abuse allegations from multiple women.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger