Oprah Winfrey has withdrawn her support from a documentary about sexual assault allegations against Russell Simmons.
Winfrey was recently announced as an executive producer of the untitled doc from filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering. The film is slated to debut later this month at the Sundance Film Festival and was later going to air on Apple TV+, where Winfrey has a production deal.
On Friday, Winfrey released a statement saying she has problems with the filmmakers’ “creative vision” and would be exiting the project.
“I have decided that I will no longer be an executive producer on The Untitled Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering documentary and it will not air on Apple TV+,” Winfrey said in a statement to the media.
“First and foremost, I want it to be known that I unequivocally believe and support the women. Their stories deserve to be told and heard. 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,” she added. “Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering are talented filmmakers. I have great respect for their mission but given the filmmakers’ desire to premiere the film at the Sundance Film Festival before I believe it is complete, I feel it’s best to step aside. I will be working with Time’s Up to support the victims and those impacted by abuse and sexual harassment.”
