New court papers offer a possible explanation for why Oprah Winfrey withdrew as executive producer of “On the Record,” a documentary about allegations of sexual abuse against Russell Simmons, shortly before its 2020 Sundance premiere. The filing suggests that doubts raised by an unnamed friend about accuser Drew Dixon may have contributed to Winfrey’s decision.
In January 2020, Winfrey told the filmmakers she would remove her name from the project unless they pulled it from the festival. She said publicly that she believed and supported the women, but felt more work was needed and that she and the filmmakers differed over the film’s creative direction. She later told “CBS This Morning” that she wanted the account to be accurate and that some stories contained inconsistencies.
The new material was filed by attorneys for Dixon in a case Simmons brought against Warner Bros. Discovery, which aired the documentary on HBO. It includes a letter from the filmmakers to Winfrey that appears to address concerns she had shared about Dixon. According to the letter, those concerns involved claims that Dixon had been romantically involved with Simmons at the time of the alleged assault and was seeking fame and money by making the accusation. Dixon has denied being in a relationship with Simmons at that time.
The filmmakers disputed the claims in the letter and argued that, even if they were true, they would not establish that Dixon had not been raped. Dixon accused Simmons of raping her in 1995; he has strongly denied the allegation. She later sued him for defamation over his claim in an interview that she was lying.
Simmons has faced allegations of rape, attempted rape and other sexual misconduct from 12 women. He resigned from Def Jam in 2017 and has not been charged with a crime. He denies wrongdoing.
Sources: Page Six.