In a guest column for The Hollywood Reporter, award-winning screenwriter Jenny Lumet, the daughter of filmmaker Sidney Lumet, detailed her disturbing encounter with the prolific music and TV producer, claiming he sexually violated her in 1991 when she was 24. Lumet is now the second person as of recent that has accused Russell Simmons of sexual assault. The first person was Keri Claussen Khalighi.
In response to her allegation, which came in the form of a letter addressed to Simmons, the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings said he is stepping down from his various businesses to “commit myself to continuing my personal growth, spiritual learning and above all to listening.”
In his statement, Simmons said, “I know Jenny and her family and have seen her several times over the years since the evening she described. While her memory of that evening is very different from mine, it is now clear to me that her feelings of fear and intimidation are real.”
He continued, “While I have never been violent, I have been thoughtless and insensitive in some of my relationships over many decades and I sincerely apologize.”
A Snippet from Lumen’s open letter.
“You pursued me, lightly, on and off, over a course of years, saying you had a thing for a “little yellow girl” (me). I rebuffed. It wasn’t deep, as far as I knew. It was never a big deal. You had, I assumed, many women in your orbit.
Once you sent me 250 balloons with the note “Please baby, please baby, baby, baby, baby” after a character in a Spike Lee movie. It was light, fun, and flattering. We continued to socialize in the same places. We continued to have a large group of mutual friends.
One night circa 1991, when I was around 24, I was at a restaurant called Indochine. I had worked there when I was 17, as the coat check girl, and I enjoyed returning. I still knew some of the staff at this point, and felt quite comfortable there. I remember I was wearing one of the Azzedine Alaia tops that were everywhere that year. And hoop earrings. I think it was cool enough for a jacket. Because I remember being glad I had a jacket by the end of that night.”
Simmons did say the culture is going through “a time of great transition,” and said he did not want to be a distraction from the work of his companies. He also plans to convert a studio he founded for yogic science into a not-for-profit center of learning and healing.
“The companies will now be run by a new and diverse generation of extraordinary executives who are moving the culture and consciousness forward,” said Simmons, adding, “As for me, I will step aside and commit myself to continuing my personal growth, spiritual learning, and, above all, to listening.”