Russell Simmons is denying new allegations of sexual misconduct, including multiple accusations of rape, after a group of women told their stories to the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.
The papers published stories Wednesday in which nine women accused the media mogul of sexual harassment and assault in incidents alleged to have occurred over decades.
Four of the women, Drew Dixon, Toni Sallie, Tina Baker and Sherri Hines accuse Simmons of rape.
In a statement provided to CNN, Simmons “vehemently” denied all the allegations and said, “These horrific accusations have shocked me to my core and all of my relations have been consensual.”
“I am blessed to have shared extraordinary relationships, whether through work or love, with many great women; and I have enormous respect for the women’s movement worldwide and their struggle for respect, dignity, equality and power,” he said in the statement. “I am devastated by any reason I may have given to anyone to say or think of me in the ways that are currently being described.”
CNN has not independently verified the women’s stories and has reached out to them for comment.
On Thursday, Simmons posted a photo on his official Instagram account showing the words,”NotMe.”
“Today, I begin to properly defend myself,” the caption read. “I will prove without any doubt that I am innocent of all rape charges.” (Simmons has not been criminally charged.)
Simmons added that he planned to address some of the accusations against him.
“My intention is not to diminish the #MeToo movement in anyway, but instead hold my accusers accountable,” he wrote. “NotMe Again, this is not a movement against or even in conjunction with #Metoo. It’s just a statement about my innocence.”
#MeToo has become a worldwide movement in which women have shared their stories of being victims of sexual misconduct.
The reports by New York Times and the Los Angeles Times paint a picture of Simmons as a man who wielded his power and influence as both a music mogul and entrepreneur.
Last month, the Los Angeles Times published a story in which Keri Claussen Khalighi said Simmons had forced her to perform oral sex on him in 1991, when she was then a 17-year-old model.
Simmons issued a statement in response to the story at the time of publication but did not address her age.
“Everything that occurred between Keri and me occurred with her full consent and participation,” Simmons said.
The entrepreneur recently stepped down from his companies after screenwriter Jenny Lumet wrote a guest column for The Hollywood Reporter in which she accused Simmons of forcing her to have sex with him in 1991.
In response to her column, Simmons said in a statement that he did not have the same interpretation of his time with Lumet.
“While her memory of that evening is very different from mine, it is now clear to me that her feelings of fear and intimidation are real,” he said. “While I have never been violent, I have been thoughtless and insensitive in some of my relationships over many decades and I sincerely and humbly apologize.”
