On The Record Refers To 20 Russell Simmons Accusers — These Are Their Claims

In December 2017, the New York Times published a story in which three women accused iconic hip hop executive Russell Simmons of rape. The new documentary On the Record follows one of those women, Drew Dixon, as she made her decision to speak out. Now, two and a half years after the New York Times story was published, Dixon is one of 20 women who have accused Simmons of sexual assault or misconduct.

Simmons has denied the allegations against him across the board in multiple statements, and on Instagram using the hashtag "#NotMe." On the Record includes the following statement from Simmons:

“I have issued countless denials of the false allegations against me… I have lived my life honorably as an open book for decades, devoid of any kind of violence against anyone.” 

Refinery29 has reached out to Simmons for additional comment.

Dixon, whose story is at the center of On the Record, was hired by Simmons as the director of A&R for Def Jam Recordings in the early '90s. She claims Simmons harassed her throughout her time at Def Jam, and that in 1995 he raped her at his apartment. She left the company soon after.

Dixon went on to work at Arista Records, eventually while L.A. Reid served as CEO. In the film she accuses Reid of harassment. His statement at the end of the documentary says that the allegations in the film are "unfounded, not true, and represent a complete misrepresentation and fabrication of any facts or events alleged therein as having occurred."

Screenwriter Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married) claimed Simmons "sexually violated" her in an open letter in The Hollywood Reporter in November 2017. She claims that after offering her a ride home, Simmons made his driver take them to his apartment instead. She didn't consent to sex, but thought, "Just keep him calm, and you'll get home." 

Simmons responded to the THR letter by saying that he would be stepping down from his companies so as to not be a "distraction." Of Lumet's allegation in particular, he said, "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."

In a November 2017 Los Angeles Times article, former model Keri Claussen Khalighi claimed that Simmons raped her in 1991 when she went to his apartment with his friend, director Brett Ratner, after they had dinner together.

"Everything that occurred between Keri and me occurred with her full consent and participation," Simmons told the LA Times.

In the same New York Times story in which Dixon's allegation appeared, singer Tina Baker claimed Simmons raped her in the early '90s when he was her manager.

Music journalist Toni Sallie also alleged Simmons raped her in the NYT story. She claims he invited her to his home for a party, but when she got there, no one else was there and he "physically attacked me." She claims that she saw Simmons at a later date in Florida, where he allegedly grabbed her hair and chased her into a bathroom.

In the same NYT article, Christina Moore claimed Simmons groped her in 2014 after pushing her up against a column in a hotel.

Simmons responded to the NYT story, which included Moore, Sallie, Baker, and Dixon's claims with a three-paragraph statement. You can read the full statement here.

"I vehemently deny all these allegations. These horrific accusations have shocked me to my core and all of my relations have been consensual," his statement begins. It continues: "The current allegations sent to me by The New York Times range from the patently untrue to the frivolous and hurtful. The presumption of innocent until proven guilty must not be replaced by 'Guilty by Accusation.'"

Journalist and domestic violence activist Sil Lai Abrams is also featured heavily in On the Record. Abrams had been friends with Simmons and briefly worked at Def Jam as an executive assistant. She claimed in a June 2018 Hollywood Reporter story that Simmons raped her while she was drunk. The next morning, Abrams said she swallowed several sleeping pills, and called Simmons, telling him, "I hope you know for the rest of your life that you made me kill myself!" Her life was saved when a friend was able to get her to the hospital in time.

Simmons denied raping Abrams and also denied receiving the phone call.

Publicist and TV personality Kelly Cutrone accused Simmons of attempting to rape her in 1991. She told Page Six in December 2017 that she and Simmons, an acquaintance, were walking from one party to another when he allegedly tricked her into going to his apartment by claiming he needed to stop by a friends' place. She claims he then attempted to rape her, but she was able to fight him off and flee the apartment.

In response to Cutrone's claims, Simmons' lawyer shared the same statement shared with the NYT, in which Simmons denies all the allegations against him.

In a November 2017 Los Angeles Times story, Tanya Reid said that Simmons harassed her when she was a receptionist at a hotel in 1994. Simmons and Ratner were both staying at the hotel and during one incident Simmons called down to the front desk: "He wanted me to come upstairs so Brett could hold me down and he could [perform oral sex]," Reid claimed. Reid also claimed that Ratner coerced her into giving him oral sex.

Ratner's attorney told the Los Angeles Times that he did not recall Reid or the alleged incident. Simmons gave this statement: "I mean no disrespect to her when I say I do not recall a conversation with a hotel front desk clerk over a quarter of a century ago."

Natashia Williams-Blach accused Simmons of attempting to force her to perform oral sex after he took her to a yoga class in a December 2017 story in the Los Angeles Times. The actor had appeared in a film produced by Simmons.

Simmons responded to the LA Times report with this statement: "While there are many women with whom I have shared extraordinary relationships, whether through work or love, I regret with my whole heart any conduct that has led anyone to say or think of me in the ways that are currently being written."

In the same December 2017 Los Angeles Times story, Erin Beattie, a massage therapist, claimed that while giving Simmons a massage he exposed himself, asked her to touch his penis, and made inappropriate sexual comments.

Sherri Hines was a member of the Mercedes Ladies, an all-women rap group. She alleged Simmons raped her in the December 2017 Los Angeles Times article. In On the Record, she claims that the assault occurred when he invited her to his office during a time that he was supposed to be helping the Mercedes Ladies with their career.

An instructor who worked at Simmons' Los Angeles yoga studio, Tantris, told the Los Angeles Times in the same story that he harassed her, repeatedly asking her on dates even though she was in a relationship. The environment at the studio was described to the LA Times by a former manager, Karen Russell. Simmons' attorney told the publication that she was a "disgruntled former employee."

Also in the Los Angeles Times story, Lisa Kirk who was at a party attended by Simmons, claimed that he followed her into a bathroom and pushed her into a stall where she "smashed into the wall." She alleges he started to take his penis out, but when she caught his eye, "He looked mortified and literally ran out of the bathroom."

In response to the allegations in the December 2017 Los Angeles Times story, Simmons said in a statement, "These new stories range from the patently untrue to frivolous and hurtful claims. I want to restate categorically what I have said previously: I have never been violent or abusive to any women in any way at any time in my entire life."

Alexia Norton Jones claimed to Variety in June 2018 that Simmons raped her after they went on a date in 1990.

In a statement to Variety, Simmons said, "I’m deeply saddened by this story from Alexia. At no time did she share these feelings about her first sexual encounter with me, which took place roughly 28 years ago. I have taken multiple lie detector tests that affirm I never sexually assaulted anyone. Alexia and I dated, were intimate and attended multiple events together after she alleges the incident occurred in 1990. I considered her a friend for all these years and continue to have a warm relationship with members of her family. I believe we last spoke in 2006 when she called to express her disappointment over the fact that I had not attended an event honoring her father [Clarence Jones, who had been a lawyer and speechwriter for Martin Luther King Jr.]."

In return, Jones said that she never dated Simmons.

Real Housewives of New York City star Luann de Lesseps accused Simmons of groping her in an elevator. "He grabbed my ass in an elevator, he was just a pig," she told reporters in April 2018, according to The Daily Beast. "I haven’t told anybody about that before. I was grossed out. I was like 'How dare you.' He invaded me, he took advantage of me, being who he is, thinking he is all 'it', all everything. He thought he could just do that. I looked at him and said, 'Don't ever do that again.'"

In response, a rep for Simmons reissued his previous statement denying all allegations of sexual misconduct.

Filmmaker Jennifer Jarosik filed a lawsuit in January 2018 claiming that Simmons raped her at his home in 2016 and asking for $5 million. Additionally, she claimed that he sexually assaulted her in 2011, but this claim had fallen outside the statute of limitations.

The lawsuit was dropped in April 2018, as reported by Variety. "Only after hearing that women were able to recover money for real abuse by actual sexual predators, did Ms. Jarosik decide to see if she could extract large amounts of money from Mr. Simmons," Simmons' attorney said.

Comedian Amanda Seales claimed Simmons sexually harassed her when she had a meeting at his office, asking her "Have we ever fucked?" and when she said "no", adding, "Oh, right. 'Cause I would’ve remembered that, right?"

Simmons denied speaking inappropriately to Seales in an LA Times story that raised the accusation. Simmons also provided signed affidavits from witnesses at the meeting in question, who claimed Simmons did not say anything inappropriate to Seales.

As reported by THR, in March 2018, an anonymous woman filed a $10 million lawsuit against Simmons alleging he raped her in a hotel room after inviting her to a party following a concert.

Simmons said in a statement: "I vehemently deny all the allegations made against me. They have shocked me to my core as I have never been abusive or violent in any way in my relations with women. I have submitted myself to multiple lie detector tests. I denied forced sex and sexual harassment allegations brought against me in each test; I also answered no to the question, 'Have you ever physically forced any woman to have sexual intercourse?' I passed all of the lie detector tests."

A woman who remains anonymous claims that Simmons raped her in his apartment in 1991 after they'd gone on a date, as reported by TMZ in January 2018. Simmons did not directly respond to this anonymous claim.

An anonymous woman briefly describes an alleged attack from Simmons in On the Record. It is unclear if this woman is one of his 20 other listed accusers.