50 cent and Russell Simmons slam Oprah's #MeToo documentary

Russell Simmons and Oprah. Photo / Instagram

Oprah's upcoming #MeToo documentary has attracted criticism from 50 cent and Russell Simmons.

According to Variety, the documentary "follows a former music executive who grapples with whether to go public with her story of assault and abuse by a notable figure in the music industry."

50 cent posted a photo of Simmons, a record executive and entrepreneur, and Oprah Winfrey together on Instagram and accused Winfrey of targeting African American celebrities.

"I don't understand why Oprah is going after black men. No Harvey Weinstein, no Epstein, just Michael Jackson and Russell Simmons, this sh** is sad."

Simmons was accused of sexual misconduct in 2017. The documentary will feature Drew Dixon who claims Simmons hurt her, The New York Post reports.

The 62-year-old penned an open letter to Winfrey on Instagram and denied the allegations against him.

View this post on Instagram

Dearest OPRAH,you have been a shining light to my family and my community. Contributing so much to my life that I couldn’t list a fraction of it in this blog.Ihave given you the gift of meditation and the groundbreaking book”THE POWER OF NOW “we bonded to say the least. This is why it’s so troubling that you choose me to single out in your recent documentry. I have already admitted to being a playboy more (appropriately titled today “womanizer”) sleeping with and putting myself in more compromising situations than almost any man I know. Not 8 or 14 thousand like Warren Beatty or Wilt Chamberlain, but still an embarrassing number. So many that some could reinterpret or reimagine a different recollection of the same experiences. Please note that ur producers said that this upcoming doc was to focus ONLY on 3 hand chosen women. I have refused to get in the mud with any accusers, but let’s acknowledge what i have shared. I have taken and passed nine 3-hour lie detector tests (taken for my daughters), that these stories have been passed on by CNN, NBC, BUZZFEED, NY POST, NY MAG, AND OTHERS. Now that you have reviewed the facts and you SHOULD have learned what I know; that these stories are UNUSABLE and that “hurt people hurt people”. Today I received a call from an old girlfriend from the early 1980s which means that they are using my words/evidence against me and their COMMITMENT/ (all of the claims are 25 to 40 years old) It is impossible to prove what happened 40 years ago, but in my case proof exists of what didn’t happen, mostly signed letters from their own parents, siblings, roommates, band members, interns, and in the case of 2 of your 3 accusers,their own words in their books. Shocking how many people have misused this important powerful revolution for relevance and money. ... In closing, I am guilty of exploiting, supporting, and making the soundtrack for a grossly unequal society, but i have never been violent or forced myself on anyone. Still I am here to help support a necessary shift in power and consciousness. Let us get to work on uplifting humanity and put this moment and old narrative behind us

A post shared by Russell Simmons (@unclerush) on Dec 13, 2019 at 6:35am PST

"Dearest OPRAH...it's so troubling that you choose to single me out in your recent documentary. I have already admitted to being a playboy (more appropriately titled today 'womaniser') sleeping with and putting myself in more compromising situations than almost any man I know...So many that some could reinterpret or reimagine a different recollection of the same experiences."

The documentary made by Winfrey, Impact Partners and filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Zierring will air on Apple TV+ next year.