Russell Simmons Sex Assault Accusers Refute His 'Breakfast Club' Claims

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The Breakfast Club had Russell Simmons on as a guest Wednesday and it was pretty unsettling. Not just because Russell sat in a yoga pose for an hour straight and had better wifi than Charlamagne but because he did his damnedest to convince his public that black women shouldn’t be believed. He admitted going to Bali to escape the media, then claimed he got stuck there due to coronavirus. He says he’s passed 9 lie detector tests and claims he’s only been accused of sexual assault by six or seven women, while Time’s Up puts the number at 15 or higher. We noticed a number of people online reacting to the interview who felt the trio’s interrogation skills were at an all time low as they discussed Andre Harrell, Bali, yoga, DiBlasio and Civil Rights before even broaching the subject of the sexual assault allegations against him. Once they did reach the topic, Russell controlled the conversation, cutting off Angela Yee multiple times and ranting about how he believed Oprah would “save” him by backing away from the documentary and explaining why. In another breath, he mentions not wanting to talk too much about Oprah. Simmons is vehement that he’s never been violent and adamant that he’s not a racist. He also invokes a long list of black actress and model’s names, saying he never felt compelled to harass women he worked with because he was dating such high caliber women outside of the office. The interview is over an hour long. You can watch it below.

Since the interview aired, Drew Dixon, whose story is probably the most prominent of those mentioned in the new HBO Max documentary “On The Record,” has responded directly to Simmons claims made in the interview.

“Teaching your daughters to have “boundaries” and say “no” won’t protect them from rapists like you @UncleRUSH

I said “NO”… “STOP”… “PLEASE”… “I’M BEGGING YOU”… and CRIED, while you ripped off my clothes, pinned me down and told me to stop fighting. F**k all the way off.”

Drew also called Charlamagne to task after he reminded Russell that his use of party drugs might have affected him from remembering some of the things he’s been accused of.

“To be CLEAR @cthagod @breakfastclubam Your boy @UncleRUSH was stone-cold sober when he raped me. He tricked me. Said he’d ordered me a car. Told me to pick up a demo while I waited. Minutes later he emerged naked, wearing a condom and RAPED ME while I said NO, fought, and cried.

Dixon also challenged Simmons to look her in the face and say whatever he has to say. That might have been in response to Simmons answer as to what he would say to the women accusing him. He claimed he’d tell them he loved them and was sorry they felt hurt — but still maintained he was neither a rapist, monster or violent.

And if you have something to say to me @UncleRUSH look me in the eye and say it to my face.

In her final tweet on the subject Drew Dixon condemns the popular iHeartRadio show for allowing Simmons the same platform as Kamala Harris and Cory Booker to smear her and her “On The Record” peers names.

This is miserable. @breakfastclubam has hosted dignified guests like @KamalaHarris and my college classmate @CoryBooker

and now allows the man who raped me, @SheriSher_Bx, and @Sil_Lai to smear our character and spout lies.

I guess Black women don’t matter after all.

Fellow survivor Sil Lai Abrams, who is also featured in “On The Record” was also active on Twitter during and following “The Breakfast Club” interview although she said she was too sickened to listen. She challenged Simmons to have a public conversation about her allegations rather than an interview where he’d be given so much deference.

Let’s have a public conversation about my allegations @unclerush. Instead of you declining to be interviewed for

@OnTheRecordDoc and then using friendly outlets like @breakfastclubam to allow you to speak unchallenged.

Abrams also responded to Simmons’ claims that these are 30+ year-old allegations noting that she had spoken on the subject multiple times years before now.

I wrote about the rape in my first and second books. 2007 and 2016 respectively. The rape occurred in 1994. My first book was published in 2007. It took me 13 years to share my story-albeit withholding your name because I didn’t want my platform connected with his. Do better math

Dixon, Abrams and Sher had a number of people speaking up on their behalf who were outraged about “The Breakfast Club” interview. This is just one example.

Dixon also mentioned Jenny Lumet’s sentiments after Lumet was mentioned during “The Breakfast Club” interview:

From Jenny Lumet to the women in @OnTheRecordDoc: Russell Simmons’ separation of me from you is an act of violence. He’s perverting this moment in history when we are demanding the protections we deserve to commit more violence against Black people. Black women are Black people.

Powerful stuff. While Dixon has not appeared on “The Breakfast Club” she did an interview with “Ebro In The Morning” on Hot 97 last week. Hit the flip to watch it and read some of the refutations Time’s Up published in response to Simmons’ Breakfast Club interview.