Russell Simmons Apologizes for Harriet Tubman Sex Tape
15 Aug, 2013
Russell Simmons is apologizing for a parody video of Harriet Tubman in a sex tape that appeared on his All Def Digital YouTube channel.
The clip features an actress portraying Tubman having sex with her white slave master as someone films it so the abolitionist can bribe her boss. The “Harriet Tubman Sex Tape” video was posted Wednesday.
The 55-year-old Simmons, founder of Def Jam Records, writes Thursday that he “can now understand why so many people are upset.” He said he removed the video after a call from the NAACP.
Simmons adds that he doesn’t condone violence against women and that he’s “sincerely sorry” to those offended by the clip. Though Simmons removed the video, it still lives online.