HBO cuts ties amid second allegation
NEW YORK — HBO distanced itself from Russell Simmons and scrubbed his name from a stand-up comedy series he helped produce on the eve of its debut following a second sexual misconduct allegation. HBO said Thursday it will go ahead with Friday’s airing of “All Def Comedy” but will edit out any link to Simmons in the wake of allegations by screenwriter Jenny Lumet who claims that he had sex with her more than two decades ago despite her repeated demands that he stop.
“Simmons will not appear in the new series and we will be removing his name from the show moving forward,” read a statement by HBO, which had previously been home to the Simmons’ pioneering “Def Comedy Jam.” “We have no other projects with Russell Simmons.”
HBO has previously proved willing to sever ties with starry names amid allegations of sexual misconduct. After Louis C.K. was accused of harassment, HBO removed the comedian from its “Night of Too Many Stars” special and took down his previous standup specials and series from its on-demand services.
The latest allegations facing Simmons comes from Lumet, who co-wrote “The Mummy” in 2017 and “Rachel Getting Married” in 2008, wrote an essay for The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday in which she recalled Simmons sexually violating her in 1991, when she was 24.
“I desperately wanted to keep the situation from escalating. I wanted you to feel that I was not going to be difficult. I wanted to stay as contained as I could,” wrote Lumet, the daughter of filmmaker Sidney Lumet.
Simmons said in a statement released after the essay’s publication that Lumet’s memory of the night is “very different” from his, but it’s clear to him “that her feelings of fear and intimidation are real.”