Actor Terry Crews, pictured left, called out Hollywood mogul Russell Simmons, right, for asking him to give talent agent Adam Venit a pass and help him get his coveted job back. Crews, 49, accused Venit of grabbing his genitals at a party in Feb. 2016.
Crews tweeted a message from Simmons, 60, asking him to help Venit get his job back after the powerful agent was suspended as head of the motion pictures department at William Morris Endeavor.
The message is dated November 3, 2017 — 2 weeks before Simmons himself was accused of sexually assaulting a teenager in front of film producer Brett Ratner, pictured center.
The email to Crews reads:
“Did he ever apologize? Give the agent a pass ask that he be reinstated
With great love, all things are possible”.
Crews captioned the email:
“Message Russell Simmons sent to me regarding my sexual assault case against Adam Venit of @WME:
Dear @UncleRUSH—— NO ONE GETS A PASS”.
Message Russell Simmons sent to me regarding my sexual assault case against Adam Venit of @WME:
Dear @UncleRUSH——
NO ONE GETS A PASS pic.twitter.com/DmEvqWVxkc— terrycrews (@terrycrews) November 19, 2017
Keri Claussen Khalighi, now 43, says she was only 17 when Simmons invited her to his apartment in New York City, under the pretense of viewing a music video that Ratner, now 48, was working on.
Khalighi said Simmons pounced on her and forced her to perform oral sex on him while Ratner watched.
“I looked over at Brett and said ‘help me’ and I’ll never forget the look on his face,” Keri told the Los Angeles Times. “In that moment, the realization fell on me that they were in it together.”
Simmons lawyered up quickly and vigorously denied the allegations, saying he had “consensual sex” with the teenager when he was in his 30s.
Simmons has a thing for 17-year-olds. Recall that Simmons’ ex-wife Kimora Lee was only 17 when he met her.
Both Russell and Ratner have denied the allegations. “Everything that occurred between Keri and me occurred with her full consent and participation,” Russell said in a statement posted on Twitter.
Khalighi said she told at least three people of her encounter with Ratner and Simmons, and all of them confirmed her side of the story to The Times.
Khalighi told The Times she reached out to Simmons after The Times posted its Nov. 1 story about Ratner. Phone records shows Simmons placed a 27 minute phone call to Khalighi. One party recording — in which only 1 person knows a call is being recorded — is illegal in California, so Khalighi didn’t record the call.
Khalighi told The Times she informed Simmons that she was considering telling her story. She said during that call he didn’t deny any of her claims but apologized and mentioned that he’s the father of two daughters.
Former aspiring model Tanya Reid, told The Times that Ratner and Simmons “aggressively pursued her in 1994 when she was working the front desk at a Miami hotel”.
She said both men called the front desk using various ruses to get her to come up to Ratner’s hotel room.
She said she eventually gave Ratner her phone number after he promised her a part in one of his music videos.
Ratner invited her over to his place, and she says he forced her to have oral sex with him.
Warner Bros. cut ties with Ratner after half a dozen women came forward and accused him of sexual misconduct.
Simmons’ Twitter.com mentions were full of angry tweets on Sunday afternoon.
How is it consensual when she’s a minor & you’re an adult. & not by a few years, but by many. It’s called statutory rape. & you should be ashamed of yourself. Why can’t you go for women your own or near your own age?
— Iliana Tuzo (@IlianaMercedes) November 19, 2017
Back then it was not considered consent.
— Philadelphia Eagles 8-1 #FlyEaglesFly (@Quote_me_on_it) November 19, 2017
The fricking gall these men possess. Drag Russell, drag him to the very end. These predators need exposing.
— CarolynH. (@CarrieCnh12) November 19, 2017
Russell, imagine it was one of your daughters violated. Would you give the person that assaulted them a pass? Terry deserves no less consideration and empathy just because he's a man.
— Jakki Daniels (@Senterstage) November 19, 2017
Or at least admit he was wrong for what he did & apologize. If he were 22 that would be one thing, but 35? Exactly, c'mon man!
— Iliana Tuzo (@IlianaMercedes) November 19, 2017
You dated your ex-wife when she was 17, and you were almost two decades older, so how are we supposed to believe that you respect women, when a 17 year old is not a woman?
— Corey Bu-Shea (@coreybking) November 19, 2017
But she was an underage white girl. You are a black man. You should have known better. By the way, you should not be having sex with anyone under the age of 21.
— ?Charis? (@CharisLoveXO) November 19, 2017
Her race is relevant. He is about to lose everything. He is a black man in America. He should not be having little white girls in his hotel room.
— ?Charis? (@CharisLoveXO) November 19, 2017
Wow. So he wants to give a predator a pass!
Wonder if he would have said the same had it happened to a member of his own family.
— Max Seed (@MaxDelSeed) November 19, 2017
I am gonna rob Russell, apologize, and see if he gives me a pass. Oh wait…no I am not…BECAUSE THAT IS INSANE!
— Rae ? (@chimchimcheer) November 19, 2017