Russell Simmons doesn’t seem concerned about the rape allegations being thrown his way.
Simmons was back in the States after a trip to Bali to get away, and TMZ spotted him as he walked to his Range Rover. When the gossip site asked him about the accusations, he once again denied them.
“I don’t have a stitch of violence in me,” Simmons said. “I would never hurt anybody … I have never had any violence in me, but this is a difficult time for everyone.”
Twelve women have accused Simmons of rape and sexual assault since 2017, including Insecure star Amanda Seales and screenwriter Jenny Lumet, who wrote an editorial describing her account of an assault at Simmons' hands for The Hollywood Reporter.
“You didn't punch me, drag me or verbally threaten me," Lumet wrote. "You used your size to maneuver me, quickly, into the elevator. I said, 'Wait. Wait.' I felt dread. I was very, very sad. I didn't know if the driver was a further threat, or an ally. I was both relieved and terrified when he did not get into the elevator. Alone in the elevator, you pressed me into the corner with your body, your hands and your mouth.”
Model Keri Claussen Khalighi has also accused Simmons of misconduct. She told The Los Angeles Times that she was assaulted in his apartment with Brett Ratner, another prominent man that has been accused of assault.
“I looked over at Brett and said, "Help me,' and I’ll never forget the look on his face," Khalighi said. "In that moment, the realization fell on me that they were in it together. I fought it wildly.”
In December 2017 Simmons released a statement denying any and all allegations.
“'I vehemently deny all these allegations," Simmons said at that time. “These horrific accusations have shocked me to my core and all of my relations have been consensual.”
Simmons added that he planned to “'relentlessly fight against any untruthful character assassination that paints me as a man of violence.”