Russell Simmons Addresses Sexual Assault Allegations: “I Could Never Say That Someone Doesn’t Feel Victimized” Russell Simmons “Breaks Silence” In New Interview
Russell Simmons is offering his side of the story regarding the sexual assault accusations against him in a new interview. As The Shade Room previously reported, the music mogul was initially hit with allegations from two women in 2017. At the time, Simmons denied the accusations.
As time went on, additional women came forward, and an HBO Max documentary called ‘On The Record‘ was released detailing the alleged events.
In June 2020, Simmons admitted that he “could never say that someone doesn’t feel victimized” but maintains that he is not a monster.
The 66-year-old co-founder of Def Jam Recordings appeared as a guest on the latest episode of ‘In Depth with Graham Besinger’ released on Wednesday, December 6.
Bessinger began the conversation by asking why several women would accuse Simmons of sexual assault if the claims “are not true.” Simmons seemingly admitted to being reckless during his time.
“Look, there’s a song by Whodini– ‘I’m a hoe, you know I’m a hoe, three different women after every show,’ Simmons explained, reciting the song’s lyrics. “Culturally, we thought that was the right way.”
Simmons admitted to having “a number of sexual partners” and putting himself in “compromising positions.”
“If you slept with as many people as I slept with– thousands … I spoke poorly to 15 of them … I was crude. How many compromising situations was I in? And if you call that person and say, ‘Can you help me help these other women?’ You can get them to tell a story and reimagine a story.”
The Former Def Jam Head Opens Up About The “Compromising Situations” & Lie Detector Tests
The 66-year-old explained that he was in “a lot of compromising situations” and that other people’s “recollection from 30 or 40 years ago can be different” from his.
“If you had more foursomes than most men at one time, could someone leave and feel hurt? Could someone leave and feel they wished they hadn’t? Could some reimagine a story out of thousands of people? Could someone want notoriety in the industry where people thirst for fame, even infamy? Could someone who just got out of jail and want to sue you because they had an experience and they can reimagine it just a bit different? And could you be vulnerable enough to accept it?” Simmons continued.
As the conversation continued, Simmons recalled the “9 lie detector tests” he took when the accusations unfolded. The music mogul publicly revealed the tests during a 2020 ‘Breakfast Club’ interview. The tests were 95% accurate, and he “passed” them all, Simmons explained at the time, per The Shade Room.
“I took 9 lie detector tests, people don’t know that … 7 from the Chairman of the Polygraph Association. One for each and every allegation,” Simmons told Besinger.
