Saturday, January 11, 2020

Oprah Drops Out of Russell Simmons Documentary


Last month Oprah Winfrey caused a firestorm after it was announced that she was executive producing a documentary about women who have accused Russell Simmons of sexual assault [click here if you missed that].

Now Oprah is stepping away from the project...

In a statement to The Wrap Oprah explains,
“I have decided that I will no longer be executive producer on ‘The Untitled Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering Documentary’ and it will not air on Apple TV+.” 
“First and foremost, I want it to be known that I unequivocally believe and support the women. Their stories deserve to be told and heard. In my opinion, there is more work to be done on the film to illuminate the full scope of what the victims endured and it has become clear that the filmmakers and I are not aligned in that creative vision."
“Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering are talented filmmakers. I have great respect for their mission but given the filmmakers’ desire to premiere the film at the Sundance Film Festival before I believe it is complete, I feel it’s best to step aside. I will be working with Time’s Up to support the victims and those impacted by abuse and sexual harassment.”