DJ Olivia Dope is alleging that rapper-turned-podcaster Joe Budden sexually harassed her.
The DJ is a former co-host of the “See, The Thing Is,” hosted on The Joe Budden Network. She detailed her allegations in a 26-minute video posted to her Instagram page.
Dope left the podcast earlier this year.
“At 14:34, there’s an edit in the recording because Joe [Budden] says him and I should speak more because ‘He’s been wanting to f*ck me since we met.’ Everyone in the studio, including production staff, laughed uncomfortably while one of my co-hosts confirmed that to be true,” Dope explains.
She continued, “I am mortified by this revelation. Not only because it’s revealed while we are amongst the presence of all of the production staff, but it’s also being done while we’re recording audio, as well as visual. That scene was cut out. It jumps to Joe repeating we should speak more because we have the least dialogue.”
Dope then detailed another incident she says occurred during her time on the show.
“Another edit happened because Joe makes another suggestion to having sex with me. That scene is edited out and what is shown right after that is me closing my eyes saying ‘No’, and then he says ‘Never mind.'”
As she walks through the particular incident, Dope explains what she says took place, providing timestamps to back up her version of events.
She explained, “At 21:30 Joe tells me to ‘Hit a button b*tch’ because I didn’t hit a sound effect fast enough. At 24:54, Joe makes a comment that I’m throwing my “singleness” in his face and he thought we were going to be a network power couple. Once again I’m trying to laugh all of this off as it’s transpiring. I reply back. I say ‘Sorry Joe we’re not.’ At 25:42 I make a comment about relationships in general with the conversation, Joe retorts that my shirt that I’m wearing isn’t buttoned like I’m single. I pause, cover my chest with hand, and try to brush it off once again.”
Watch the episode in full below.
“Regardless of that, no one should ever feel comfortable enough to speak the way that person spoke to me. Ever. No one should ever feel comfortable enough to make a workplace environment completely hostile and toxic the way that eprson did. No one should ever feel like they can be sexually explicit and suggestive, not only to you, while you’re coming in just trying to work, but also in front of the entire production staff to belittle you,” she adds.
The allegations just days after former podcast co-hosts, Mal and Rory responded to Budden’s recent episode where he fired them on air. They alluded to Budden shortchanging them on their contract.
He has not released a statement addressing the DJ’s recent claims.
