Russell Simmons Repurposes #MeToo With #NotMe to Defend Against Rape Accusations, Deletes Twitter

Updated Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017, 2:47 p.m. EST: It looks as though Russell Simmons has now deleted his Twitter account. Was it because of the backlash? Or his failed hashtag?

Earlier:

On the heels of being accused of sexually assaulting 10 different women over the last two decades, and as recently as 2014, Russell “Yogi” Simmons has seemingly repurposed the #MeToo movement to defend himself against the allegations. Allow me to introduce you to: #NotMe.

Advertisement

Now, you might be thinking to yourself, “Wow, he’s trash.” Well, you’d be thinking correctly. In an Instagram soliloquy, Simmons even stated that he wasn’t purposely trying to go against the #MeToo movement because, you know, he respects women, but he feels he needs to defend himself against these allegedly false accusations.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Simmons wrote:

Today, I begin to properly defend myself. I will prove without any doubt that I am innocent of all rape charges. Today, I will focus on “The Original Sin” (Keri Claussen), the claim that created this insane pile on of my #MeToo. Stay tuned! We’ll share evidence today... And tomorrow the case of Jenny Lumet. My intention is not to diminish the #MeToo movement in anyway, but instead hold my accusers accountable. #NotMe Again, this is not a movement against or even in conjunction with #Metoo . It’s just a statement about my innocence.

Advertisement

Sure, the people in the cheap seats will always yell:

“He’s innocent until proven guilty!”

“Why would he need to rape women?”

“He was going to buy NBC!”

And so forth.

But the fact that 10 women—from filmmaker Jenny Lumet to models and other women trying to make it in the music industry—have accused Simmons of everything from fondling and lewd comments to rape ... what’s the saying? Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

Advertisement

Simmons has written about his past proclivities when it comes to living a rock ’n’ roll lifestyle and turning over a new leaf as a yogi, but given that there are accusations as recent as three years ago, some things just don’t sound right.

It’s truly ridiculous that he feels the need to rebrand a hashtag that is a battle cry from women who have been sexually assaulted, just to attempt to save his own ass. Next thing you know, he’ll write how he’s the father of daughters. And he’s been married to a woman.

Advertisement

When you publicly tout a pussy grabber as your friend, it’s kinda hard to expect anything less than what these women have accused Simmons of, especially since birds of a feather and all that.

Namaste, Simmons. This “evidence” should be interesting.