Earlier this month it was revealed that Oprah Winfrey had stepped down as a producer on the documentary that features women that have accused Russell Simmons of sexual harassment. Now Oprah is opening up more about her decision and reiterates her decision had nothing to do with being pressured.
She said on CBS This Morning, “This is not a victory for Russell. I unequivocally say that I did not pull out because of Russell. This is not a victory lap for him. I cannot be silenced by a Russell Simmons after all I’ve been through.”
As we previously reported, Oprah expressed that she believes and supports the women that are involved in the project, but she felt more work needed to be done to “illuminate the full scope of what the victims endured.” Nonetheless, it was the filmmakers that shared a different vision.
Oprah continued, “I had said to them, ‘Houston, I think we have a problem here’ because new information had come forward. “I don’t care about awards — I just care about getting it right, and I think there’s some inconsistencies in the stories that we need to look at. I wanted the context of the story to be broadened, I wanted more women brought into the story.”
In the end, she did reveal that this moment has taught her a valuable lesson when it comes to attaching your name to a project. She said, “What this has taught me is, don’t put your name on anything that you do not have creative control over.”
Oprah has been open about being sexually abused as a child, and added, “I have lived MeToo since I was 9 years old, and was raped at 9, sexually assaulted from 9 to 14, and then raped again at 14. And nothing is harder than standing up for yourself when you’re 14 and not being believed, and I was not believed by my own family. So I stand in support of these women. I believe them.”
TSR STAFF: Jade Ashley @Jade_Ashley94
