Oprah Winfrey’s controversial decision to abandon a documentary about Russell Simmons is back in the headlines six years later.
New legal filings indicate the television icon’s concerns about On the Record may have involved unverified allegations about one of the women accusing the music mogul of sexual assault.
Winfrey withdrew from the project in January 2020, weeks before its Sundance debut, explaining that she believed the filmmakers needed to investigate certain details further.
“I just care about getting it right, and I think there are some inconsistencies in the stories that we need to look at,” she previously told CBS This Morning.
But correspondence recently submitted by attorneys for accuser Drew Dixon offers another glimpse into the disagreement. The filmmakers reportedly responded to information Winfrey had received from an unnamed friend suggesting Dixon had been romantically involved with Simmons and was seeking publicity or financial gain.
Dixon has denied those claims.
The filmmakers challenged the allegations, writing, “And persons in consensual relationships can be raped.”
Dixon, a former Def Jam executive, alleges Simmons raped her in 1995. He denies wrongdoing. She has also sued Simmons for defamation after he publicly disputed her account.
Winfrey previously insisted she “unequivocally believes and supports the women” featured in the documentary.
