It looks as if Russell Simmons has, for now, put an end to his attempts to repurpose the #MeToo campaign with his #NotMe response, begun after he was accused of sexually assaulting several women.
As the New York Post’s Page Six reports, Simmons’ attempts to clear his name over the sexual-misconduct allegations have gone mysteriously quiet. When the site inquired, representatives said that Simmons had decided “that this is a time for women to speak.”
In November and December, the music mogul was accused of several forms of sexual misconduct, including rape, by 13 women.
Simmons almost immediately stepped down from his businesses, saying that he was going to focus on proving his innocence against the claims. On Dec. 14 he posted an image that just showed the hashtagged word #NotMe. In his captions, he noted that he would “begin to properly defend” himself.
“My intention is not to diminish the #MeToo movement in anyway, but instead hold my accusers accountable,” he wrote.
As the report notes, that same day, he apparently took a lie detector test regarding the accusations brought forward by model Keri Claussen Khalighi—who originally came forward as the voice exposing Simmons—a test his attorneys said he “passed with flying colors.”
His attorneys also said that Simmons planned to go forth with more tests, but then the issue fell by the wayside, with Simmons going silent.
“Mr. Simmons’ previous statements stand, and he has nothing to add to [them] at this time,” his representatives told Page Six, after noting that it was “a time for women to speak.”