The New York Times has reported that hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons has been dropped from Oprah Winfrey's latest book amid accusations of sexual misconduct and assault from multiple women. Simmons is best known for creating Def Jam Recordings and then becoming a yoga and spiritual guru. Throughout his career, he has written many spiritual and uplifting books for all ages.

Oprah, who has also written a handful of books throughout her career, released a collection of conversations with celebrities in October 2017 titled The Wisdom of Sundays. There are over 500,000 copies of the book currently in print and it's been on bestseller lists since its release. In the book, not unlike Oprah's Super Soul Sundays, she features selections from conversations she has had with motivational speakers and spiritual leaders like Deepak Chopra and Elizabeth Gilbert. 

Russell Simmons was featured in passages detailing the impact of meditation and his thoughts on abundance and wealth. Marlena Bittner, a spokesperson for Flatiron Books, the publisher, said that future editions of the book starting February will no longer contain his contributions. 

Although Simmons continues to deny the accusations and continues to dedicate himself to spiritual learning and healing, he is being sued by one woman seeking $5 million in damages.

Bittner says the decision to drop Simmons was made jointly by Oprah and the publisher. After her soul-stirring speech at the Golden Globe Awards, Oprah had to make the decision as an advocate of the Times Up movement. Business is business after all.