Amanda Seales On Russell Simmons & Colorism In America

Amanda Seales, star of Issa Rae’s Insecure visited The Breakfast Club earlier this week. During the interview, the actress – who has publicly spoken out against Russell Simmons, and the numerous sexual assault and harassment claims against him.

A short while back, Seales has posted an experience she had two years ago with the media mogul, where Simmons has asked her if they “had f*cked before.” Seales was left disgusted by the encounter.

She said of the encounter: “I was sitting in his office, and we were talking about Insecure, and he was saying ‘big-ups on Insecure. I really like what you’re doing in the show.’ This was 2016. And he was like, ‘Oh Amanda; we’ve ever fucked?’”

She went on to say – “I think to him it’s humorous because he’s said this to people before. I think that’s why it didn’t register to anyone in the room as problematic. You know, because they are just like, ‘Oh that’s Russ. He’s just doing his Russ thing.’ For me, especially after being out of hip-hop for so long now, it’s so much sharper, because I don’t experience that in the comedy space […] You can’t fight this battle as one person. Also, as I’m sitting in that office, it’s a reminder that I’m in someone else’s office. So it does feel crazy to be on them like ‘Yo, what you doing?!’ It definitely is always funny to me when people say, ‘Why don’t you say anything?’ There are so many valid, regular reasons why you don’t say anything.”

Watch the interview in full, below.