Yesterday a second woman came out with allegations against Russell Simmons, detailing a time he used his "size to manoeuvre" her into his apartment to have sex, even though she asked him to "wait" a number of times.
When the open letter was revealed, Russell followed up with an apology and then stepped down from his biggest companies, Def Jam Records and Phat Farm. "As the corridors of power inevitably make way for a new generation, I don’t want to be a distraction so I am removing myself from the businesses that I founded," he wrote in his statement."The companies will now be run by a new and diverse generation of extraordinary executives who are moving the culture and consciousness forward."
It was also announced that his name would be swiped from HBO's upcoming All Def Comedy.
TMZ now reports that staffers at All Def Digital were called together for an emergency meeting yesterday, where comedians and producers were given strict instructions to not speak about the happenings outside of the workplace. Apparently, employees were told that if they do let anything slip, repercussion would be in place. The publication also notes that some comedians still want to work with Russell despite the allegations against his name. Russell reportedly spent most of his days at the company headquarters working with staff, and many are in fear that his absence will hurt All Def Digitial and the careers of the upcoming comedians.
A number of users on Twitter are sounding off on Russell. Here's what they're saying: