Russell Simmons Steps Down From All Of His Companies Following Sexual Assault Allegations
By: Kayla Pasacreta
Jenny Lumet circa 1999, photo via Getty Images
Another day, another star accused of sexual misconduct. This time, it's mogul Russell Simmons. Las week, the Los Angeles Times published a report detailing allegations from model Keri Clausessen Khaligi, who said Simmons forced her to perform oral sex on him before anally penetrating her, as Hollywood producer Brett Ratner watched. Today, writer Jenny Lumet published a guest column in the Hollywood Reporter titled "Russell Simons Sexually Violated Me".
Jenny Lumet, a prominent screenwriter, has been behind films like 'Rachel Getting Married' and 'The Mummy'. She is the daughter of filmmaker Sidney Lumet. In her column for the Hollywood Reporter, Lumet provides specific details about her horrific encounters with mogul Russell Simmons. Lumet and Simmons first met in 1987, and often ran into each other at events and nightclubs due to their large number of mutual friends.
She further writes that Simmons offered to take her home on a night in 1991. Their interaction took a turn when Simmons instructed his driver to not drop her off at her address. Lumet says they ended up at a building and describes the encounter,
“I made the trade in my mind. I thought, “Just keep him calm, and you’ll get home.” Maybe another person would have thought differently, or not made the trade.
It was dark but not pitch-dark. You closed the door.
At that point, I simply did what I was told.
There was penetration. At one point you were only semi-erect and appeared frustrated. Angry? I remember being afraid that you would deem that my fault and become violent. I did not know if you were angry, but I was afraid that you were.
I desperately wanted to keep the situation from escalating. I wanted you to feel that I was not going to be difficult. I wanted to stay as contained as I could.
You told me to turn over on my stomach. You said something about a part of my body. You did not ejaculate inside me.”
Simmons immediately issued an apology and announced he will be stepping down from all of his businesses in response to Lumet's column:
“I have been informed with great anguish of Jenny Lumet’s recollection about our night together in 1991. I know Jenny and her family and have seen her several times over the years since the evening she described. While her memory of that evening is very different from mine, it is now clear to me that her feelings of fear and intimidation are real. While I have never been violent, I have been thoughtless and insensitive in some of my relationships over many decades, and I sincerely apologize.
This is a time of great transition. The voices of the voiceless, those who have been hurt or shamed, deserve and need to be heard. As the corridors of power inevitably make way for a new generation, I don’t want to be a distraction, so I am removing myself from the businesses that I founded. The companies will now be run by a new and diverse generation of extraordinary executives who are moving the culture and consciousness forward. I will convert the studio for yogic science into a not-for-profit center of learning and healing. As for me, I will step aside and commit myself to continuing my personal growth, spiritual learning and above all to listening.”
