Oprah Winfrey backed out of the Russell Simmons sexual assault documentary. Why the fallout was 'horrible'
Twenty minutes. That's how long Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering had to digest the news that Oprah Winfrey was pulling her support of their documentary before she released the announcement to the press.
The email from Winfrey, sent at 3:10 p.m. on Jan. 10, had come as a shock. In her message, the filmmakers said, the Harpo Productions head said she would no longer be serving as the executive producer of their still untitled documentary about the survivors of Russell Simmons' alleged sexual abuse. Subsequently, the movie - set to premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival - was dropped from a planned release on Apple TV+ through Winfrey's deal with the streaming platform.
"In my opinion, there is more work to be done on the film to illuminate the full scope of what the victims endured and it has become clear that the filmmakers and I are not aligned in that creative vision," Winfrey said in her 3:30 p.m. statement, in which she also made it clear she "unequivocally" believes and supports the film's subjects. "Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering are talented filmmakers. I have great respect for their mission but given the filmmakers'
