In mid-November, Russell Simmons joined the sad society of powerful men being accused of sexual assault. After actress Rose McGowan accused filmmaker Harvey Weinstein of rape, the #MeToo movement to hold sexual predators accountable while creating a network of support among sexual assault survivors, took off within and outside of Hollywood.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bcr6U8AgyNL/?hl=en&taken-by=unclerush
On Wednesday, Simmons, who has been accused of sexual battery and rape by multiple women spoke out on the accusations in a poorly executed Instagram post. Simmons reworked the widely revered #MeToo hashtag in a failed attempt to convey his innocence:
“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 #MeToomovement 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.”
Chile. Although shared on Instagram, Billboard notes Simmons is no longer an active Twitter user following the post. The original IG post remains visible and frankly, embarrassing. Still cringing.
