This article is more than 7 months old

This article is more than 7 months old

Oprah Winfrey has said the rap mogul Russell Simmons attempted to pressure her over her involvement with a documentary in which several women detail alleged sexual abuse at his hands. But, Winfrey said, his efforts were not what prompted her to leave the project.

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“He did reach out multiple times and attempted to pressure me,” Winfrey told the Associated Press on Friday.

Winfrey said she withdrew from the film, On the Record over inconsistencies in the story of one of Simmons’ accusers, Drew Dixon, that she felt needed to be addressed.

Winfrey has said she wanted to delay the release of On the Record, which was part of her partnership with Apple. The tech giant will no longer distribute the documentary, which is scheduled to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 25 January.

Winfrey has spoken of being sexually abused herself. She said she still believes Dixon and other women in the film, but that more reporting is needed. Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, directors of On the Record, have said they have ample evidence against Simmons, a co-founder of Def Jam Recordings.

Winfrey announced she was leaving as executive producer on 10 January, saying more work was needed and the filmmakers were “not aligned” in their “creative vision”.

The film’s producer, Impact Partners, countered that the movie was “ready for Sundance”.

“We have always championed the voices of those who have been wrongly silenced,” its statement read. “The women in this film have made a great sacrifice by coming forward to tell their stories in their own words. We are honored to support them.

“We stand firmly behind the work of the intrepid filmmakers who continue to break new ground by advancing important stories in the public interest.”

Communications between Winfrey and Simmons and Winfrey’s concerns about Dixon’s story were first reported by the New York Times.

Simmons has denied wrongdoing. On Friday, a representative said: “If defending himself against terrible accusations is considered intimidation then there would be no justice.”

Dick and Ziering told the Hollywood Reporter that they received just 20 minutes notice that Winfrey was leaving their project.

“It was very disappointing and upsetting,” Ziering said. “We were concerned about the survivors and what the hell this is going to do to them. That was our first thought. ‘Oh my God. Let’s tell everybody and figure this out.”

Winfrey said Dick and Ziering knew of her intentions as she had raised concerns last month. She told Dick and Ziering, she said, that “new information” had made her see gaps she “thought needed to be filled” and that it was better to “take a rest”.

“They said they would go on with or without me,” Winfrey said, adding that for her the bottom line was: “The film isn’t ready.”