Russell Simmons Says He Will Prove His Innocence Against Rape Allegations
Russell Simmons has deleted his Twitter account after being accused of sexual misconduct by 10 women. Both The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times published extensive accounts of new allegations of misconduct, harassment, and rape leveraged against Simmons, who was first accused of sexual assault by two other women last month.
Simmons released a statement last night stating that he “vehemently denies all these allegations.” On top of deleting his Twitter account, Simmons posted an image on Instagram today that says #NotMe, accompanied by his signature. The caption reads:
Today, I begin to properly defend myself. I will prove without any doubt that I am innocent of all rape charges. Today, I will focus on “The Original Sin” (Keri Claussen), the claim that created this insane pile on of my #MeToo. Stay tuned! We’ll share information today… And tomorrow the case of Jenny Lumet. My intention is not to diminish the #MeToo movement in anyway, but instead hold my accusers accountable. #NotMe Again, this is not a movement against or even in conjunction with #Metoo . It’s just a statement about my innocence.
You can read a summary of the allegations here.