Lumet is the daughter of director Sidney Lumet and the granddaughter of actress Lena Horne. She is an actress/screen writer who co-wrote Rachel Getting Married.
- In the open letter Lumet says she first met Simmons in 1987 when he was the producer of a film she appeared in.
- He pursued her on and off for multiple years, though she always just considered him a flirt and didn't take him seriously
- In 1991 they met at a club and he offered her a ride home. When she gave her address to his driver he told his driver not to take her there and locked the car doors so she couldn't leave
- He brought her to a location she didn't recognize and she didn't run away from the space from the car to the elevator because she didn't know if it would escalate the situation
- Once in the elevator Simmons started to grope and kiss her
- When they got to his apartment he moved her to the bedroom where Lumet had sex with him because she was afraid he would turn violent
- She says she met him multiple times over the following years but she was never friendly with him again though she is sure there are photos of her smiling with him
- She feels anguish being a woc accusing a moc of violating her but wants to step forward in support of model Keri Claussen Khalighi and any other women Simmons violated
Russel Simmons responds:
I have been informed with great anguish of Jenny Lumet’s recollection about our night together in 1991. I know Jenny and her family and have seen her several times over the years since the evening she described. While her memory of that evening is very different from mine, it is now clear to me that her feelings of fear and intimidation are real. While I have never been violent, I have been thoughtless and insensitive in some of my relationships over many decades and I sincerely apologize.
This is a time of great transition. The voices of the voiceless, those who have been hurt or shamed, deserve and need to be heard. As the corridors of power inevitably make way for a new generation, I don’t want to be a distraction so I am removing myself from the businesses that I founded. The companies will now be run by a new and diverse generation of extraordinary executives who are moving the culture and consciousness forward. I will convert the studio for yogic science into a not-for-profit center of learning and healing. As for me, I will step aside and commit myself to continuing my personal growth, spiritual learning and above all to listening.
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