Russell Simmons’ name has been removed from HBO’s “All Def Comedy” following a new accusation of sexual assault from screenwriter Jenny Lumet.
“HBO will be airing ‘All Def Comedy’ as planned,” the network said in a statement. “However, Russell Simmons will not appear in the new series and we will be removing his name from the show moving forward.
“The series is a platform for promising and upcoming comedians and we do not want to deprive them of an opportunity to showcase their talents to a national audience,” the network continued. “We have no other projects with Russell Simmons.”
One day before the six-part stand-up series was slated to debut on Friday, Lumet penned a guest blog in the Hollywood Reporter accusing the prolific music and TV producer of using force and intimidation to get her back to his apartment, where she said he assaulted her.