Oprah Winfrey has been pulled into a legal battle involving hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons. She has been subpoenaed by Drew Dixon, one of Simmons’ accusers, as part of Dixon’s defamation lawsuit against him.

Dixon sued Simmons over comments he made in a 2023 interview about her allegations. He claimed that Winfrey stepped away from a 2020 documentary about the accusations after finding inconsistencies in the stories of Dixon and other alleged victims. Simmons also suggested that Winfrey had recordings proving these inconsistencies.

Because of these claims, Dixon’s lawyers have demanded that Winfrey provide any relevant documents, recordings, or evidence. They have also requested that she testify under oath in a videotaped deposition. She had until March 18, 2025, to comply, but it is unclear whether she did.

During the 2023 interview, Simmons denied the allegations against him, insisting all his relationships were consensual. He also suggested that Dixon was seeking fame and notoriety.

Simmons further claimed that Winfrey originally wanted to change the documentary’s focus to cover the entire music industry. He said she could no longer include him as the main subject after discovering contradictions in the stories against him.

Winfrey withdrew from the documentary On The Record in 2020. However, at the time, she made it clear that her decision was not to protect Simmons. She stated that she could not be silenced and that her exit was not a victory for him.

It remains to be seen whether Winfrey complied with the subpoena or if her legal team challenged it.