Russell Simmons has tried to keep a low profile for years.
But that hasn’t stopped the shocking allegations against him from spreading far and wide.
Russell Simmons Served Lawsuit In Bali Home
In fact, the former music exec even fled the country to escape the stories that might have brought down his whole legacy.
In March of this year, it was reported that Russell had been served a lawsuit in his new home in Bali.
A server traveled all the way to the Indonesian island, going through two security checkpoints, to find and serve the Def Jam co-founder.
It reportedly took over an hour for the dedicated server to track Russell down.
The lawsuit was filed by former music executive Drew Dixon.
She was suing Russell for defamation after his negligence of her harm claims against him.
Terry Crews Makes Accusations Against Russell Simmons
But Drew is not the only one to make serious accusations about Russell.
Back in 2017, he was called out by none other than Terry Crews.
Terry described him as an SA empathizer and also showed some shocking receipts to back this up.
Terry had previously claimed that he himself had been touched inappropriately by WME agent Adam Venit.
Following his claim, he shared screenshots of a conversation between him and Russell which showed exactly whose side Russell was on.
The screenshots showed Russell asking Terry to give Adam a “pass” for what he had done.
This proved to be the beginning of the end for Russell’s public life in the US.
Russell Simmons’ Alleged Victim Recounts Assault
The allegations against him have grown more and more shocking since.
He was then accused, along with director Brett Ratner, of joining up to coerce women.
One of their alleged victims stated that she was convinced to go back to an apartment with both men when she was just 17 years old.
After that came the beginning of Drew’s accusations.
She made claims that in 1995, Russell harmed her in the most horrific manner.
Russell Simmons Speaks Out Against Alleged Victim
She went on to allege that since then, Russell has conducted a campaign against her to discredit her story.
Russell claimed that Drew was desperate for fame.
For years after that, he seemed determined to ignore the accusations against him.
Then, in 2023, he opened up about them in an interview with Graham Bensinger.
He claimed to have taken 9 separate lie detector tests to confirm his story.
Drew Dixon Convinces Court To Doubt Russell Simmons’ Claims
Drew, however, has not stayed quiet on her end.
After Russell left the US to live in Indonesia, he claimed that he couldn’t now be sued in a New York court due to being a stateless citizen who had retired to Bali.
But Drew claimed that the executive was running from the jurisdiction to avoid any accountability for his alleged crimes.
She went on to say that the court should seriously doubt Russell’s claims.
And after what happened earlier this year, it seems that they might have listened to her.
Usher Faces Backlash For Visiting Russell Simmons
During his time in Bali, Russell has not been short of company.
A few months ago, R&B superstar Usher came in for some negative criticism after he decided to take a trip to visit him.
The Source reported that the megastar received backlash online after he was spotted enjoying yoga with the disgraced music mogul.
Their meet-up was captured and shared on Instagram Stories, according to the Daily Mail.
In the clip, which was set to a song by Beyonce, Usher was seen taking part in some exercise and meditation in Russell’s Indonesian home.
Russell Celebrates Usher’s Friendship
The footage was first shared on Russell’s own Instagram, where he went on to celebrate what Usher’s friendship meant to him.
The video appeared to show Russell leading the yoga class that the singer was taking part in along with dozens of others, according to the Mail.
The Grammy winner was joined on his trip by his wife, Jennifer Goicoechea, who he married in Las Vegas following his Super Bowl performance.
In the time since the accusations against Russell were made public, he has gone on record about the friendship he continues to share with Usher.
He said that when he was at the lowest point in his life, Usher was still by his side.
He went on to say, “I had known Usher since he was a kid but we really bonded because of our mutual love for self discovery.”
He added that they shared a “belief in Yogic science as a direct route to realizing God’s consciousness in ourselves.”
Russell also talked about how Usher’s friendship, which continued after the allegations, had affected him emotionally.
He told people to remember that “a friend walks in when others walk out”, and said that he would never forget Usher’s “generosity of spirit” at that time.
Social Media Users Speak Out About Usher Visiting Russell Simmons
After the post was shared across the Internet, many people were quick to voice their disapproval at Usher’s continued association with Russell.
One user wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, “He should’ve not been in Bali with Russell Simmons.”
Another user said that Usher having pictures taken with Russell at the yoga class was definitely a choice.
They went on to suggest that it was very unlikely that the singer was unaware of the allegations made against his friend.
Usher also posed with many others during his Bali trip, including his new wife.
And he also took some more selfies with Russell in his house.
Ming Lee Throws Shade At Father Russell Simmons
But although some A-listers are still willing to see Russell, there are plenty of other people who he might have burned his bridges with.
Shockingly, some of those people are his own family members.
Last year, his own daughters, Ming and Aoki, hit headlines after a spat within the family allegedly put a strain on their relationship.
Us Weekly reported in June of last year that the drama started with a Father’s Day snub before turning into a social media brawl.
It started after Ming posted a tribute to their mom, Kimora Lee Simmons, on Father’s Day, which was described as a subtle shading of her father.
Along with the picture of her mom, Ming wrote: Happy Father’s Day.
After Ming shared her post, Russell wrote on social media, “Stop telling fathers they should have fought harder to see their children and start asking mothers why he had to fight at all.”
Aoki Lee Blasts Father Russell Simmons
Soon after, Ming’s sister Aoki joined the online feud to defend her sister and attack her dad.
She released a series of heated text messages between her and Russell in an exchange that took place the day before.
Along with the texts, she also shared an emotional video on Instagram in which she explained the family drama.
In the caption of the clip, she wrote, “My father is not well, for years, he needs help and won’t accept that he refuses to acknowledge he is not himself”.
She went on to allege that Russell had threatened and bullied her sister, as well as her grandma, who she claimed Russell had harassed in the middle of the night.
Aoki even alleged that her dad had sent a man to her sister’s apartment at 2 a.m. to scare her.
Us Magazine reported that Aoki claimed that Russell had threatened her career.
Aoki said that Russell told her that she would never get a job in fashion again if she spoke out against him.
But with Russell himself now potentially facing jail time for his supposed crimes, his power and influence look like they’ve been seriously weakened.
