Russell Simmons takes on Oprah Winfrey for producing an Apple TV+ sexual misconduct documentary featuring one of his accusers

Los Angeles Times

When Oprah's Apple TV+ documentary on sexual misconduct was announced last week, it was described as focusing on a "former music executive who grapples with whether to go public with her story of assault and abuse by a notable figure in the industry." That notable figure, it turns out, is music mogul and Def Jam Recordings co-founder Simmons. On Friday, Simmons took to Instagram to express his disappointment with Winfrey, whom he and his family have had a close relationship with, for producing the documentary. “Dearest OPRAH, you have been a shining light to my family and my community. Contributing so much to my life that I couldn’t list a fraction of it in this blog,” Simmons captioned a photo of himself and Winfrey having a book talk. “This is why it’s so troubling that you choose me to single out in your recent documentry (sic)," Simmons wrote. He added: “I have already admitted to being a playboy more (appropriately titled today ‘womanizer’) sleeping with and putting myself in more compromising situations than almost any man I know. ... So many that some could reinterpret or reimagine a different recollection of the same experiences.”