The controversial On the Record documentary has aired on HBO Max, and Russell Simmons is ready to speak his truth. For years, the Def Jam icon has been a leading voice in the music industry, but recently, his name has been entangled in controversy. For some time, Russell Simmons has stood accused of rape and sexual misconduct, and while many of the stories are from decades ago, his alleged victims have joined forces and come forward to share their stories.

Dozens of women have accused Simmons of sexual assault, and after it was shared that One the Record, a doc that highlights the story of former music executive Drew Dixon and others, would be seen by the masses, Simmons vehemently denied the allegations against him. He even went toe-to-toe with Oprah Winfrey who was an executive producer of the documentary before bowing out over what she said were creative differences.

On Tuesday (June 9), DJ Envy shared that Russell Simmons would be joining The Breakfast Club for a chat on Wednesday (June 10) morning. This was something that didn't sit well with accuser Sil Lai Abrams who has repeatedly shared her story that Simmons raped her in 1994. Simmons denied the allegations.

"Please explain this @breakfastclubam @cthagod @angelayee @djenvy Why? Why do you carry water for this man? Why now? Why are you so tone deaf? You're all complicit in ensuring that Black women's right to bodily autonomy continues to be denied. You're also rape apologists," she penned on Twitter. She wasn't the only one to call out the radio show. Check out a few harsh reactions below.

By now, you’ve heard of On The Record, the earthshattering documentary detailing allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct against Russell Simmons. As the months have progressed and more information about the controversial film has been revealed, Simmons has continued to categorically deny the allegations before him. While his name has been paraded in headlines in his attachment to One The Record, there hasn’t been as much recognition placed on another music industry great who stands accused of sexual misconduct as well: L.A. Reid.

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On The Record‘s main person of interest is Drew Dixon, a former music industry executive who worked with hip hop legends in her heyday. The film follows her career as she worked from the bottom to becoming the Director of A&R at Def Jam, but after she alleged Russell Simmons raped her, she soon left the label. In the film, Dixon says she took some time to find herself after feeling destroyed from the alleged attack, then she met Clive Davis and got a job over at Arista Records as the Senior Director of A&R.

She thrived there, even helping to build hits with Lauryn Hill and Whitney Houston, but during her tenure, Clive stepped down and L.A. Reid took his place. What followed, according to Dixon, were behaviors that she says mirrored much of the sexual harassment she endured at Def Jam. She claims that after she rejected Reid’s advances, notably refusing to meet up with him at the swanky Four Seasons hotel, he became cruel and unwilling to even consider artists that she knew were hitmakers. Two of those talents were allegedly Kanye West and John Legend.

“I auditioned Kanye West, and not only did he pass on Kanye, L.A. Reid dressed me down in front of the entire A&R department,” Drew Dixon recalled in the film. She went on to say that for 45 minutes Reid embarrassed her in front of her colleagues and called her Kanye pitch a “waste of [his] time.” In the end, Dixon asked Reid if she could go out into the hallway and give Ye the bad news.

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“I remember, I brought Kanye into my office, he had tears in his eyes,” she said. “I said, let me tell you something. You’re gonna get a deal. You’re gonna win Grammys. You’re gonna look back on this. You’re gonna laugh. Promise you.” The last artist she attempted to get Reid to sign before ultimately quitting the industry altogether was John Legend. Like Kanye, Reid allegedly passed on the EGOT crooner because of what Dixon describes as his spite for her. They reportedly rented a private concert space for Legend to practice in hopes of delivering his best performance pitch to the high-powered music executive, but at the last minute, Dixon says Reid told her he “didn’t want to go, and he told the senior staff not to go. He passed on him.”

Both Simmons and Reid have denied any accusations of sexual misconduct. On The Record debuts on HBO Max on May 27.

Despite the fact that Oprah Winfrey and Apple TV+ withdrew themselves from affiliation with On The Record, the documentary detailing the sexual assault accusations brought up on Russell Simmons, the film has had moderate success already. The troubling documentary received multiple standing ovations at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and has officially found a home in partnership with the premium cable network, HBO Max this past Monday (Feb. 3). 

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HBO Max’s Head of Original Content, Sarah Aubrey released a statement in support of On The Record documentary:

“The fierce determination of Drew Dixon and all the women who bravely chose to share their stories in ‘On the Record’ moved us profoundly. I’ve been impressed with Amy and Kirby’s work over the years covering this complex subject matter, and look forward to this film finding the widest possible audience.”

The film directed by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering reveals Drew Dixon’s decision to come forward and publicly detail the alleged incident where she claims Russell Simmons forcibly raped her in his New York home while working as a music executive for the music mogul in 1995. 

During an interview with CBS, Oprah Winfrey revealed that she didn’t leave the doc behind due to pressure from Russell Simmons and his family but due to inconsistencies and new information about the allegations coming to light. However, Winfrey insisted she is not in support of the Def Jam Records co-founder stating:

“This is not a victory lap for him. I cannot be silenced by a Russell Simmons after all I’ve been through.”

While Russell Simmons has received support from his associates and former-lovers, he’s also vehemently denied all allegations against him. 

With HBO Max willing to distribute the documentary, the masses will finally get to view On The Record for themselves in the near future. As of right now, HBO has not revealed an official premiere date for the documentary. Stick with HNHH as details unfold. 

One of the pioneers of hip-hop, the co-founder of Def Jam Records has had allegations of sexual assault from multiple women looming over him for the past three years. It was reported that Simmons stepped down from his positions at all of his businesses and relocated to Indonesia to take refuge from the scrutiny he was facing. Since then, an entire documentary detailing Simmons’ alleged sexual advances, actions, and misconduct has been produced and premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival this past weekend. 

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The documentary entitled, On The Record, features in-depth interviews from multiple accusers revealing their troubling experiences with the hip-hop mogul. The doc focuses on one of Russell Simmons’ accusers in Drew Dixon who claims that he had forcibly assaulted her while working for him as an A&R during the ’90s. Dixon also discussed her disappointment with Oprah after she withdrew from participating in the documentary. In an exclusive interview with USA Today, Dix revealed:

“The past 15 days have been traumatic. Definitely lots of extra therapy sessions. Lots of anxiety.”

Despite Oprah and AppleTV+’s withdrawal from participating in the production of the documentary, the film received not one but two standing ovations from people in attendance at the Sundance Festival screening of the movie. While reviews of On The Record, have been described as compellingly uncomfortable and infuriating, the film was well-received during all of its showings. 

Last year, the Oprah-produced Leaving Neverland, premiered at the festival and received high praise from critics until the doc was debunked as fictitious following some basic research.  

As of right now, there isn’t a network providing the documentary with a platform for those wishing to watch On The Record. But if it continues to receive positive reviews during its private showings, eventually the doc will make its way to a ble network. 

Russell Simmons has denied all allegations made against him in regards to the documentary and those accusing him of sexual assault.

On January 25, the documentary starring Russell Simmons’s sexual assault accusers is set to premiere at The Sundance Film Festival. The already-controversial film was thrust into even more scandal after it was revealed that Oprah Winfrey was acting as an executive producer. Both 50 Cent and Russell Simmons publicly denounced the OWN mogul’s inclusion, and later, Oprah announced that she was distancing herself from the project due to “creative vision” differences. The Def Jam mogul has vehemently denied the sexual misconduct accusations against him.

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Ahead of the film’s premiere, three women who have accused Simmons of assault—Drew Dixon, Sil Lai Abrams, and Alexia Norton Jones—sat down with CBS This Morning to share their stories. “I hope that black women and girls become more visible as a result of this documentary,” said Dixon. “This is violently tackled and raped — while saying no and fighting and crying.”

“I literally worked for him,” she continued. “He was ordering me a car, and he told me to come upstairs and pick up a demo. I thought I would be in his apartment for five total minutes. That’s it. And he showed up naked, wearing a condom and tackled me to his bed, while I screamed and fought and said, ‘No,’ and cried. That’s rape.”

Abrams said she dated Simmons in the early 1990s and alleges that he raped her, as well. “He’ll say, ‘Yes, we had a sexual relationship,’ but he cannot address the fact that I was too drunk to consent, and that the next day I called him up, screaming,” Abrams stated. “And I attempted suicide. He knew, and I told him why, that he had ruined my life, and that I had nothing.”

Meanwhile, Jones accuses Simmons of raping her in 1991 on their first date. “This was a very swift attack, and what was going through my mind more than anything was, ‘Why?’ Because I liked Russell,” Jones said. “And I, you know, I would’ve just kissed him. I would’ve made out with him. I would’ve — he didn’t have to attack me. He raped me right up against the f*cking wall. Excuse my language. But he — that’s what he did. I had to keep this secret.” Watch the clip below.

Weeks after being called out by 50 Cent and Russell Simmons, media mogul Oprah Winfrey has reportedly canceled her plans on executive producing her #MeToo Apple TV+ documentary titled The United. It was recently announced that Winfrey was working on sharing the story of Drew Dixon, a former music executive who has made claims that she was raped and sexually harassed by Russell Simmons. The Def Jam icon has adamantly denied the allegations.

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Rapper 50 Cent suggested Winfrey specifically targets black men accused of sexual assault. “No Harvey Weinstein, No Epstein, just Micheal jackson and Russell Simmons this sh*t is sad,” the Power executive wrote on Instagram. Simmons would later pen a lengthy message on social media speaking directly to Winfrey.

“Shocking how many people have misused this important powerful revolution for relevance and money,” Simmons wrote. “Maybe you should name your documentary ‘FLAVOR OF LOVE’!? In closing, I am guilty of exploiting, supporting, and making the soundtrack for a grossly unequal society, but i have never been violent or forced myself on anyone.”

In a statement to PEOPLE, Winfrey revealed she’d be stepping away from the project. “I have decided that I will no longer be executive producer on The Untitled Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering Documentary and it will not air on Apple TV+,” Winfrey said. “First and foremost, I want it to be known that I unequivocally believe and support the women Their stories deserve to be told and heard.”

She added that her reason for ditching the project had to do with “creative vision,” not because of pressure from the public. “In my opinion, there is more work to be done on the film to illuminate the full scope of what the victims endured and it has become clear that the filmmakers and I are not aligned in that creative vision,” Winfrey continued. “Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering are talented filmmakers. I have great respect for their mission but given the filmmakers’ desire to premiere the film at the Sundance Film Festival before I believe it is complete, I feel it’s best to step aside. I will be working with Time’s Up to support the victims and those impacted by the abuse and sexual harassment.”

Meanwhile, Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering issued a statement of their own. “Revealing hard truths is never easy, and the women in our documentary are all showing extraordinary strength and courage by raising their voices to address sexual abuse in the music industry,” they told PEOPLE. “While we are disappointed that Oprah Winfrey is no longer an Executive Producer on the project, we are gratified that Winfrey has unequivocally said she believes and supports the survivors in the film.”

“The #MeToo experiences of Black women deserve to be heard, especially against powerful men, so we will continue with our plans to bring the film to The Sundance Film Festival,” they added. “This film more than two years in the making, will be our eighth to premiere at Sundance. The film is a beacon of hope for voices that have long been suppressed, and an inspiration for anyone wanting to regain their personal power.”