Russell Simmons isn’t taking the new wave of sexual assault and misconduct allegations against him lightly. The Def Jam co-founder publicly declared his intentions to defend himself and prove his innocence after being accused of rape by four more women in new reports by the New York Times and Los Angeles Times.
On Instagram, the Hip Hop mogul posted a picture with the hashtag #NotMe in the style of the #MeToo movement, which denounces sexual assault and harassment. In the caption of the post, Simmons characterized Keri Claussen Khalighi’s original accusations against him as “The Original Sin” and intends to counter her claims with his own information.
“Today, I begin to properly defend myself,” he wrote on Thursday (December 14). “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.”
Simmons has been accused of rape by a total of six women. Three more have accused him of sexual misconduct.
