Russell Simmons | |
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 Simmons at the 2012Tribeca Film Festival premiere ofMansome | |
| Born | Russell Wendell Simmons (1957-10-04)October 4, 1957 (age 67) New York City, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1984–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Joseph Simmons (brother) Danny Simmons (brother) |
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Russell Wendell Simmons (born October 4, 1957) is an American entrepreneur, writer andrecord executive. He co-founded thehip-hop labelDef Jam Recordings,[1] and created the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and Tantris. He has promotedveganism and ayoga lifestyle, and published books on lifestyle, health, and entrepreneurship. Simmons' net worth was estimated at $340 million in 2011.[2]
After producing or managing artists such asKurtis Blow,Run DMC,Whodini, andJimmy Spicer, Simmons joined forces with producerRick Rubin to found Def Jam Recordings. Under Simmons' leadership as chairman, Def Jam signed acts including theBeastie Boys,Public Enemy,LL Cool J,Jay-Z,DMX, andKanye West. From 1992 to 1997, he also produced theDef Comedy Jam television program.
In 2017, Simmons was publicly accused ofsexual assault by multiple women; he denied the allegations. Following these allegations, Simmons stepped down from his various business roles and charities, including his position at Def Jam.
Russell Wendell Simmons was born in theHollis neighborhood of New York City'sQueens borough on October 4, 1957.[3][4] His father was a public school administrator and his mother was a park administrator for theNew York City Parks and Recreation Department. His brothers are painterDaniel Simmons Jr. andJoseph Simmons (better known as Rev Run ofRun-DMC fame). In 1975, after graduating fromAugust Martin High School, Simmons briefly attended theCity College of New York inHarlem where he met a young DJ/Bboy,Kurt Walker, who influenced him to participate in thehip hop phenomenon.[5][6][7][8][9] Upon hearingEddie Cheeba perform inHarlem in 1977, Simmons knew that hip hop would be his career.[10] Simmons stated, "Hearing Cheeba in '77 made me feel like I had just witnessed the invention of the wheel."[10] In 1979, Simmons metRobert Ford Jr., who began taking him to industry events and teaching him about the music business. Simmons would later credit Ford as his "guru".[11][12]
Simmons co-founded Def Jam in 1984 withRick Rubin, after many mergers, Simmons sold his share of the company for $120 million toUniversal Music Group in 1998. Simmons co-produced and appeared in the 1985 filmKrush Groove.[13] Simmons' company, Rush Communications Inc., includes over ten businesses and three non-profits. Simmons, with his partnerStan Lathan, has also produced television hitsHBO'sDef Comedy Jam andDef Poetry Jam, and currently has a development deal with HBO.[1][14] In 1996, Simmons co-produced the hit filmThe Nutty Professor, starringEddie Murphy. In 1997, Simmons co-produced the filmDef Jam's How to Be a Player, starringBill Bellamy.[15] In 2003, Simmons co-founded RushCard, a prepaid debit card provider.[16][17]
In 1992, Simmons launched the clothing line Phat Fashions LLC using thePhat Farm and Baby Phat labels. When Simmons first created Phat Fashions LLC, the clothing line was sold in a shop in theSoHo district of Manhattan. Simmons's connections with well-known rap artists helped to promote the clothing line to a wide audience. The influence of designers such asRalph Lauren andTommy Hilfiger gave the clothing line a classic look and feel. Phat Fashions encompassed hip hop clothing for women and children, as well as men, and grew into a lifestyle brand with the addition of jewelry, perfume, and other merchandise. Phat Fashions LLC sold merchandise in two stores in New York and Montreal, as well as online at www.phatfarm.com. In addition, the clothing line was carried by some 3,000 retailers in the United States.[18]
In 2001, "Hip-Hop Minister" and formerNation of Islam ministerConrad Tillard feuded with Simmons, accusing him of stoking violence by allowing the frequent use of words such as "nigga" and "bitch" in rap lyrics.[19][20][21] Tillard then organized a summit in Harlem over what he viewed as negative imagery in hip hop. Simmons organized a counter-summit, urging the public not to "support open and aggressive critics of the hip-hop community".[22][23]
In 2002, Simmons launched his first Broadway venture,Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam on Broadway.[24]
In 2004, Simmons sold Phat Farm and Baby Phat to the Kellwood Company for $140 million.[25]
In the same year, Simmons formed Russell Simmons Music Group, or RSMG, arecord label founded as ajoint venture withUniversal Music'sIsland Def Jam Music Group.[26] Tony Austin was the label's president.[27][28]
Simmons and his brothers founded the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation in 1995. The foundation provides art education and support to under-serviced youth by helping people of color access the arts and by providing exhibition opportunities. The Foundation serves about 3,000 students annually and maintains two galleries. The Rush Arts Gallery inChelsea, Manhattan and the Corridor Gallery inClinton Hill, Brooklyn exhibit the work of more than 100 community and emerging artists.[29]
In 2014,Claremont Lincoln University awarded Simmons an honorary doctorate degree in humane letters for his work as chairman of theFoundation for Ethnic Understanding and for promoting mindfulness, compassion and inter-religious collaboration in the public sphere.[30]
In October 2021, Simmons released aNFT collection, Masterminds of Hip Hop.[31] It centered on driving forces in the hip hop music industry and was curated bySnoop Dogg.[32]
Simmons and modelKimora Lee met in November 1991, when she was 16 years old and still in high school. On December 20, 1998,[33] they married on the island ofSaint Barthélemy. They have two daughters. In March 2006, Simmons announced that he and Lee had ended their relationship;[33] they divorced two years later.[34]
Simmons has been avegan since 1999. Stating love and respect for all religions, he describes himself as a Christianyogi[1][35] who practicesJivamukti Yoga,[36] which encourages vegetarianism and social and environmental activism. He is also a practitioner ofTranscendental Meditation (TM)[37] and a supporter of theDavid Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace, which was established to ensure that any child in America who wants to learn and practice TM can do so.[38]
Simmons is an advocate ofAhimsa andveganism, citinganimal rights along with the environmental and health benefits.[1] He said he went vegan after watching the filmDiet for a New America in the 1990s.[39] He is a supporter ofFarm Sanctuary, an organization working to end cruelty to farm animals.[40]People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals awarded him the 2001 PETA Humanitarian Award and the 2011 Person of the Year Award.[41][42]
In 2009, Simmons organized thousands of protestors and hip-hop celebrities in front of City Hall demanding change of the sentencing rules of theRockefeller Drug Laws.[43]
In 2002, Simmons became chairman of the board of theFoundation for Ethnic Understanding.[44] In May 2009, he was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for theUN Slavery Memorial at the United Nations to honor the victims of slavery and thetransatlantic slave trade by UN Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon.[45] In a similar vein, Simmons is a supporter of theSomaly Mam Foundation,[46] and was honored at their 2011 gala dinner.[47] In 2011, Simmons officially endorsed the secondMuslim Jewish Conference. Together with RabbiMarc Schneier he served as the officialpatron of the conference held July 2011 inKyiv, Ukraine. In 2011, he took part in theOccupy Wall Street protests, visiting the protesters atZuccotti Park often and for many consecutive days.
Simmons is a longtime supporter ofgay rights, and he encouragesmarriage equality.[48] In 2011, when the retail corporationLowe's withdrew funding from the showAll-American Muslim, Simmons promised to paythe Learning Channel for any revenue lost.[49]
In 2012, Simmons supported Ohio congressmanDennis Kucinich's re-election campaign, appearing with the politician at various speaking events.[50] In November 2013, he pledged support for New York's mayoral candidateBill de Blasio in recognition of his support for animal rights.[51]
In 2017, Simmons was listed by UK-based company Richtopia at number 23 in the list of 200 Most Influential Social-Entrepreneurs and Philanthropists Worldwide.[52][53]
Simmons is a senior advisor of the vegan burger brand Everything Legendary. In 2022, the company closed a $6 millionseries A round.[54]
In August 2013, Simmons launched the controversial "Harriet Tubman Sex Tape" parody video on his YouTube channel,All Def Digital, which led to public outrage and many critics demanding an apology. The video featured an actress portraying the abolitionistHarriet Tubman (1822–1913) having sex with herslave owner with the intent of filming the act and blackmailing him to convince him to work on theUnderground Railroad.[55] People from his own community[clarification needed], such as filmmakerSpike Lee,[56] were offended by the controversial comedy sketch.[57]
On his website, Simmons posted an apology for the parody, writing:[58][59]
I'm a very liberal person with thick skin. My first impression of the Harriet Tubman piece was that it was about what one of actors said in the video, that 162 years later, there's still tremendous injustice. And with Harriet Tubman outwitting the slave master? I thought it was politically correct. Silly me. I can now understand why so many people are upset.I would never condone violence against women in any form, and for all of those I offended, I am sincerely sorry.
In November 2017, model Keri Claussen Khalighi accused Simmons of raping her in 1991, when she was 17. Simmons andBrett Ratner, whom Khalighi accused of watching them without intervening when she asked for his help, both deny that the encounter was non-consensual.[60]
As the allegation was covered in the press,Terry Crews accused Simmons of attempting to influence him to take back sexual assault allegations that Crews had recently brought up against film executive Adam Venit, asking that Crews "give him a pass ... ask that he be reinstated." Crews posted on his Twitter account a screenshot of the alleged e-mail he had received from Simmons.[61][62][63][64]
On November 30, 2017, writerJenny Lumet claimed that Simmons had raped her in 1991. In response, Simmons said he would step down from his positions with his businesses.[65] On the same day, HBO announced that they would be removing Simmons' name and likeness from his stand-up comedy specials starting with the December 1 episode.
On December 13, 2017, theLos Angeles Times published an investigative report in which five women accused Simmons of sexual misconduct, including another alleged rape. On the same day,The New York Times published the accounts of four other women who accused Simmons of inappropriate conduct, including three more alleged rapes.[66] In response to the allegations, Simmons stated he "never had a sexual encounter that was not consensual or lawful. Ever."[67]
On February 9, 2018, Simmons denied the allegations toRolling Stone, saying (in part), "I vehemently deny all the allegations made against me. They have shocked me to my core as I have never been abusive or violent in any way in my relations with women. 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. 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. I have separated myself from my businesses and charities to not become a distraction."[68]
On April 25, 2018, Jennifer Jarosik, a filmmaker who also alleged Simmons raped her, dropped her lawsuit. The suit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning Jarosik cannot refile allegations in court.[69]
On February 13, 2024, a lawsuit filed by Jane Doe in New York Federal Court obtained byPeople, alleged that she was sexually assaulted and harassed by her boss, Russell Simmons, in the 1990s. This was while pursuing her professional ambitions as an executive atDef Jam.[70] On February 15, 2024, another lawsuit, this time alleging defamation, was filed against Simmons by former Def Jam executive Drew Dixon.[71] Dixon was previously one of the three women to accuse him of rape in the December 2017New York Times article.[66][71]
A number of women, some of whom were aged 17 at the time of the alleged incidents, have accused Simmons of sexual harassment, assault or rape:
Women who said they had been sexually harassed or assaulted (including attempted rape) by Simmons include:
Women who said they had been raped by Simmons include:
After the third assault allegation was published in a guest column by Jenny Lumet inThe Hollywood Reporter in November 2017, Simmons stepped down from his roles in the label Def Jam Records, his yoga lifestyle brand, CNNMoney, and other media properties. Lumet, who is the daughter of filmmakerSidney Lumet and the granddaughter of singer and civil rights activistLena Horne, wrote: "As a woman of color, I cannot express how wrenching it is to write this about a successful man of color. ... I feel a pang to protect your daughters. I don't think you are inclined to protect mine."[81][82][83]
HBO decided to remove Russell Simmons' name fromAll Def Comedy, a series he created to launch and showcase emerging comedians. HBO has not removed his name from Def Comedy Jams.[84]
A documentary film about the sexual assault allegations against Simmons,On the Record, premiered at theSundance Film Festival on January 25, 2020, and was released onHBO Max on May 27, 2020.[85]Oprah Winfrey withdrew as executive producer of the film, after having been pressured by Simmons to cancel the release,[86] eventually stating there were "inconsistencies" in Drew Dixon's story that "gave me pause".[85] Winfrey has also said, however, that she believes the women who have accused Russell Simmons of sexual assault.[87][88]
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