Russell Simmons Faces New Rape Allegation
The growing numbers of women who have come out to speak against men who allegedly took advantage of them is growing daily. As much as it’s hard for me to understand why successful African American brothers are among those lists of bad behavior lads, the facts remains that anyone who acts in such manners shouldn’t be exempted. Another woman has reportedly accused Russell Simmons of rape. Alexia Norton Jones, the granddaughter of late book publisher W.W. Norton and Martin Luther King Jr.’s lawyer, Clarence Jones, alleged in a recent interview with Variety that she was raped by the mogul in Nov. 1990.
Jones claims she was 31 years old at the time of the alleged incident. According to Jones, she first met Simmons in the mid-80s when she was working as an executive assistant at the Inter City Broadcasting Corporation.
She said that the two soon began spending time together after their first encounter. “Russell got my number and he began incessantly calling me. That man could call you seven or eight times a day,” she recalled .”I didn’t want to go further. It was such a fast attack. It was literally an attack.”
Simmons’ alleged advanced then became worse in 1990. “I remember being pushed up against a wall. He pulled my dress up. I must have said no seven to 10 times, and then I acquiesced. It was very fast. I would say it happened in less than 10 minutes,” Jones explained.
Following the incident, Jones said Simmons continued to call her and speak to her at social events. While she initially felt uncomfortable, she said she forgave him over time. “I would run into him at social events decades later, and I saw a difference in him and the way he acted after he got clean. Russell doesn’t get to be my jailer,” she continued.
Although Jones has been quiet for nearly two decades, she said what made her come forward was Simmons’ denials of violence against other women who accused him of misconduct. “I don’t want any money from Russell. I’m not suing him,” she added. “Russell knew that the African-American community was behind him. There are so few black men who make it, we wanted him to succeed. Yet there was also this huge betrayal. He counted on this silence.”
Simmons reportedly released a statement to Variety denying Jones’ allegations. “I’m deeply saddened by this story from Alexia. At no time did she share these feelings about her first sexual encounter with me, which took place roughly 28 years ago,” he wrote. “I have taken multiple lie detector tests that affirm I never sexually assaulted anyone. Alexia and I dated, were intimate and attended multiple events together after she alleges the incident occurred in 1990. I considered her a friend for all these years and continue to have a warm relationship with members of her family. I believe we last spoke in 2006 when she called to express her disappointment over the fact that I had not attended an event honoring her father.”
Jones has denied that she and Simmons ever dated. Jones’ therapist confirmed to Variety that she spoke with her in the early 1990s about an alleged rape during a therapy session.
Jones joins a growing list of women who have accused Simmons of sexual assault, misconduct, or rape. Twelve women have reportedly come forward with their stories, including Jenny Lumet, Keri Claussen, and Amanda Seales.
Whie Jones is not suing Simmons, a number of women have reportedly filed suits against him. Only one, $10 million lawsuit from a woman who identifies as Jane Doe, is still ongoing. Russell Simmons has repeatedly denied all of the allegations since they first came out in Nov. 2017.