Russell Simmons denied he is hiding out in Bali because of several sexual assault and r*pe lawsuits that were filed against him.
“People saying that I somehow can’t come home when I’m there all the time wears on you,” Simmons told AllHipHop in a statement. “It wears on me after a while to keep hearing the same narrative, which is false. I’m always in L.A., I’m always in New York and Miami. And I’ve never had any reason to feel unsafe in America.”
In March, Drew Dixon, a former music executive who accused him of r-pe, sued him for defamation for denying her sexual assault claims. Simmons said, “Could someone want notoriety in the market where people thirst for fame?” and “I’ve never been forceful in any of my relationships,” all of which were “consensual,” in a December interview.
“I am not physically present in New York and I do not have an intention to live in New York in the future,” Simmons continued.
“I own no property in the United States. I have been living in Bali since 2018, which is where I intend to remain. For at least nine years before I moved to Bali, I lived in California. As a California resident, I paid California resident taxes in the years immediately prior to moving to Bali. Currently, I pay California non-resident state taxes.”
