Oprah dragged into disgraced music mogul Russell Simmons’ defamation case

Oprah Winfrey is in the crosshairs of a legal battle involving disgraced Def Jam mogul Russell Simmons (67) and his sexual assault accuser, Drew Dixon.

The 71-year-old TV host and businesswoman was subpoenaed by Drew to provide the “inconsistencies” that made her pull out of the On The Record documentary.

This forms part of a defamation lawsuit between Drew and Russell where Russell cast doubt on her 1995 rape accusation against him in a 2023 Graham Bensinger interview.

Drew was featured in the documentary, On the Record, that was set to tell the stories of some of the 20 victims who have accused Russell of sexual assault.

Oprah was an executive producer for On the Record but withdrew her support for it shortly before its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2020, saying there were “inconsistencies” with the victim’s stories, as well as creative differences.

According to Page Six, Drew’s subpoena demands that Oprah hand over any proof of these “inconsistencies”.

She was given a deadline to comply with the subpoena but it is unclear if she has done so.

Oprah’s involvement in the documentary was part of her multi-year partnership with Apple TV+.

The tech giant approached her to work on two documentaries, including one about workplace harassment that became On the Record.

After walking away from the documentary, Oprah told the Associated Press that she’d felt “pressured” by Simmons.

“He did reach out multiple times and attempted to pressure me,” she said. On The Record was dropped by Apple TV+ as well.

She also maintained it was her findings that ultimately made her step back.

Drew told the New York Times that she felt “abandoned”.

“I am being silenced. The broader community is being intimidated. The most powerful black woman in the world is being intimidated,” she said.

However, the project did not stay on ice for long; it was bought by HBO Max and streamed in May 2020.