Oprah Winfrey withdrew as an executive producer of an HBO documentary about sex abuse claims against Russell Simmons just weeks before its Sundance premiere in 2020. At the time, Winfrey cited "inconsistencies" in the accusers' stories as the reason for her decision.
However, new court filings suggest that Winfrey may have been influenced by scuttlebutt regarding the motives of one of Simmons' accusers. The filings emerged in a defamation lawsuit filed by Drew Dixon, a former Def Jam executive who accused Simmons of rape in 2017. Simmons has vehemently denied all accusations.
In January 2020, Winfrey informed the filmmakers that she would remove her name from the project if the documentary, titled "On The Record," was not pulled from the Sundance Film Festival. She initially stated that she "unequivocally believes and supports the women" and that their stories "deserve to be told and heard." Winfrey added that she felt "more work to be done on the film to illuminate the full scope of what the victims endured" and that she and the filmmakers were not aligned in their creative vision.
She later told "CBS This Morning" that she "just care[s] about getting it right, and I think there are some inconsistencies in the stories that we need to look at."
Attorneys for Dixon presented an exhibit in court that included a letter from the filmmakers to Winfrey. This letter appeared to address doubts about Dixon that had been raised to Winfrey by an unnamed "friend."
According to the letter, Winfrey's concerns were based on her friend's claims that Dixon had been in a romantic relationship with Simmons at the time of the alleged attack and that Dixon was seeking fame and money by making the accusation. Dixon has denied these claims.
The filmmakers refuted these points, arguing in the letter that even if the friend's claims were true, "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."
Simmons has faced accusations of rape, attempted rape, and other sexual misconduct from a total of 12 women. He resigned from Def Jam in 2017. He has not been charged with any crimes. Dixon is also suing music mogul L.A. Reid for alleged sexual assault.