After five more women came forward accusing music mogul Russell Simmons of sexual misconduct, the Def Jam co-founder responded on Instagram with a #NotMe post to deny all wrongdoing.
Actress Natashia Williams-Blach, Massage Therapist Erin Beattie, Rapper Sherri Hines, Lisa Kirk and "Insecure" star Amanda Seales are the latest group of women to recall lewd sexual stories about Simmons. They detailed their recounts in a lengthy Los Angeles Times exposé.
Some of the women stated that they were raped by Simmons and others said he exposed himself and tried to force them to have relations. The total number of women to have alleged sexual misconduct has come to at least 10.
Last month, Simmons' troubles began when former model Keri Claussen Khalighi and screenwriter Jenny Lumet accused him of forcing them to perform oral sex on him and of rape respectively. In 1991, Khalighi allegedly was forced to perform oral sex on Simmons when she was just 17 years old. And Lumet detailed her story in The Hollywood Reporter. After Khalighi and Lumet came forward, Simmons stepped down from his business in November.
“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,” Simmons wrote in his post.
Simmons claimed that he did not want to take away the momentum or the significance of the #MeToo movement that has exposed sexual predators in media with relentless pressure.
He stated that he is innocent and that #NotMe was created to proclaim his innocence. But the post does not mention the most recent group of women.
It is not clear if Simmons wants his #NotMe hashtag to take off as a movement of its own. However, he hopes that his accusers are held accountable for their accusations.
