Russell Simmons Defends Himself After Taraji P. Henson’s Visit

Russell Simmons has gone on the defensive after critics slammed actor Taraji P. Henson for spending time with the criticized hip-hop impresario and entrepreneur at his Bali resort.

Simmons, 66, told them to “cut it out” amid the backlash that erupted when Simmons posted a photo of himself with the Color Purple star in Indonesia, with many expressing their displeasure with Henson for hanging out with someone who has been accused of sexual assault.

The Def Jam Recordings co-founder has faced accusations of sexual harassment, rape and defamation for years and is a defendant in sexual assault and defamation lawsuits filed in February. But he omitted those details in his video response posted to Instagram Live Tuesday, calling out black people who “demonize” him but support former President Trump. He also listed his contributions to the black community and dismissed the idea that he is “hiding” to avoid legal consequences.

“Black people, have you forgotten that I got 10,000 black men out of prison? And that I changed the factory farming industry forever? And that I registered more of you to vote than probably anyone you know?” he said.

Simmons said he worked for the Black Lives Matter movement and “any movement that helped our people,” including organizations that helped women and LGBTQ+ people.

“To allow them to demonize me in such a way that my friends can’t come visit me without you attacking me — and yet you’re standing next to Donald Trump? Come on,” he said. “I’m going to be in New York next week, this idea that I’m hiding is stupid. Every time I’m there, I get paparazzi. I have an office on Wilshire Boulevard. I’m there all the time. Sometimes I work in New York, but I live here. I live here to heal people.”

Simmons spends most of his free time in Bali, where he founded the Gdas Bali Health and Wellness Resort. Henson visited the property last summer and again earlier this month, when Simmons posted about her and thanked her for her patronage. (R&B star Usher also spent time at Gdas during his honeymoon in March and faced similar outrage.)

“People, when you have friends like this, you are truly blessed!!!!” the former music executive wrote on August 12, sharing a snapshot of Henson’s stay. “Everyone comes to Gdansk for healing, some people radiate healing energy. You @tarajiphenson are one of them. You make everyone happy just by being there, I love you little girl. I’m glad you’re home safe… but we miss you already… see you soon baby, only love… P.S. you mean so much to so many people, keep inspiring us all!!!”

While some of Simmons’ fans praised their photo, others began attacking him and Henson personally.

“Isn’t he running from US charges?” one user commented, to which another replied: “He’s not running from anything, he built a resort in Bali.”

“let’s not forget why he left the country and has no plans to return,” wrote another. “Taraji lost me when she was on a fake phone call ssa (sic) with the CURRENT VP talking about being on these streets”

Simmons moved to Bali in 2018 after facing multiple allegations of rape, sexual assault, and sexual misconduct. He has denied the allegations and insists his move does not mean he is avoiding legal action, Complex reports.

Simmons was again accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit in February when a former Def Jam music video producer accused him of raping her in his Manhattan apartment in the 1990s. That same month, Simmons was served with papers in a defamation lawsuit filed by writer, producer and activist Drew Dixon in Bali.

“People saying I can’t go home because I’m always there, it gets to you,” Simmons told AllHipHop in May. “After a while, it gets to me hearing the same narrative over and over again, which is false. I’m always in L.A., I’m always in New York, I’m always in Miami. And I’ve never had a reason to feel unsafe in America.”

However, Simmons’ response to Henson’s criticism on Tuesday did not sit well with many.

“Russel, please shut up,” replied X user @nwonewssparrow, who posted an old photo of Simmons posing with Trump.

“Oh so Hollywood and his Democrat friends have turned their backs on Russell Simmons — and instead of criticizing them, he blames the black community… Wait,” tweeted user X @HarrietEve9.

“This makes you look even more guilty,” read a GIF posted by another user.

Representatives for Henson and Simmons did not immediately respond Wednesday to The Times’ request for comment.