Oprah Winfrey Subpoenaed in Ongoing Drama Over Defamation Case Regarding Sex-Assault Claims
Oprah Winfrey, a well-known philanthropist and television personality, is drawn into a high-profile defamation case involving music mogul Russell simmons, who is accused of rape. Winfrey has been subpoenaed to provide evidence and testify in the lawsuit filed by Drew Dixon, one of Simmons’ alleged victims. Dixon claims Simmons defamed her after she accused him of rape in 2017, a claim that dates back to an alleged incident in 1995.
The subpoena seeks documents about supposed inconsistencies in Dixon’s story that Winfrey purportedly uncovered while considering a documentary project about the case. winfrey has expressed belief in Dixon’s allegations but has pointed out issues that led her to withdraw from the documentary. The legal proceedings continue as Dixon seeks access to Winfrey’s evidence and testimony, contributing to a narrative where she has described feeling silenced and intimidated. Winfrey’s compliance with the subpoena remains uncertain, as Simmons has denied all wrongdoing.
Already one of the most famous people in the world, philanthropist and television personality Oprah Winfrey is now dealing with more notoriety than she’d prefer.
And it’s all got to do with a shocking defamation case alleging rape.
As the New York Post’s Page Six laid out in an exclusive scoop, Winfrey has been subpoenaed in the highly publicized defamation trial involving Russell Simmons, the rap mogul perhaps best known for his DefJam label.
One of Simmons’ alleged victims and former DefJam executive, Drew Dixon, is suing Simmons for defamation after he disparaged claims she had made in an interview in which she said that he raped her.
(The claims came in 2017, with the alleged assault coming in 1995. Simmons spoke out against those allegations in 2023, with Dixon’s defamation suit then coming in 2024.)
According to the U.K’s. Daily Mail, the reason for Winfrey’s inclusion is that she was reportedly planning to do a documentary about the aforementioned scandal in 2020.
“Simmons claimed that Winfrey had backed away from the project after discovering ‘inconsistencies’ in Dixon and other alleged victims’ stories and that she had recordings that revealed those ‘inconsistencies,’” the Mail reported.
A 2020 report from The New York Times has Winfrey on the record effectively corroborating Simmons’ claims, though the billionaire philanthropist made sure to ever-so-slightly point the finger at the rap mogul.
“He did reach out multiple times and attempted to pressure me,” Winfrey told the Times in 2020.
“Ms. Winfrey said that she still believed Ms. Dixon, though she also thought there were inconsistencies in her account that the film had not adequately addressed, in addition to other issues she had with the film,” The Times reported, adding, “(The filmmakers say they have voluminous research files corroborating all the women’s accounts.)”
The outlet added: “Ms. Winfrey said it was those reasons, and not Mr. Simmons’s protestations, that led her to pull support.”
Now, in 2025, the attorneys for Dixon want access to these documented so-called “inconsistencies” — and are subpoenaing Winfrey to get them.
Apart from demanding these documents and evidence, the subpoena is also commanding Winfrey “to appear and attend before a notary public or other person authorized by law to administer oaths … and at any recessed or adjourned date, to testify and give evidence, as a witness on an examination before trial by deposition upon oral questions,” according to Page Six.
The subpoena added: “This deposition may be videotaped and will continue from day to day until complete.”
“I feel like I’m experiencing a second crime,” Dixon told the Times in 2020. “I am being silenced. The broader community is being intimidated.
“The most powerful black woman in the world is being intimidated.”
It is not clear whether Winfrey has complied with the subpoena, or is fighting it in court.
Simmons has denied any wrongdoing, and has never been charged or arrested with a crime.
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