Oprah Winfrey pulling out of the Russell Simmons #MeToo documentary has rankled his accusers and angered activists

The Hollywood Reporter

As The Hollywood Reporter notes, accuser Drew Dixon's allegation of music mogul sexually attacking her in 1994 -- which is the centerpiece of the documentary -- was vetted enough to run as part of a 3,600-word New York Times story in 2017. But that was not enough for Oprah, who suddenly cast doubt on Dixon's accusations before pulling out of the documentary and removing it from Apple TV+. "The last few days have been like a hellscape that I honestly can't even really believe is real," Dixon tells The Hollywood Reporter. "I'm still just trying to wrap my head around the fact that somehow this is where we all find ourselves going into Sundance, which was already a source of anxiety, and now it's just turned into a pressure cooker and it's really, really scary." She adds: "This latest turn of events has been extraordinarily disorienting and upsetting. It feels like us against the world. I'm filled with anxiety and fear." Oprah's decision has also outraged activists. "I know how hard it is for victims and survivors to come forward to tell their stories, and you expect doubts to be raised by the lawyers of the accused and the accused," says Equality Now global director Yasmeen Hassan. "The fact that Oprah Winfrey is doing the same thing is shocking to me. There needs to be a lot more explanation given to these women, at the very least. This feels mind-boggling and is very bad for the #MeToo movement. We are sticking with the survivors."