Russell Simmons has lived in Bali since 2018, but he swears that the relocation doesn't mean he's been hiding out from allegations of rape and sexual misconduct.
The Def Jam Recordings founder issued a statement to AllHipHop, posted on Friday (May 24), in which he insisted that rumors of him being unable to freely return to the United States are "false."
"People saying that I somehow can’t come home when I’m there all the time wears on you,” Simmons told the outlet. "It wears on me after a while to keep hearing the same narrative, which is false. I’m always in L.A., I’m always in New York and Miami. And I’ve never had any reason to feel unsafe in America."
Also sharing that he doesn't intend to live in New York again, Simmons acknowledged that he previously lived in California for nine years and currently pays non-resident state taxes.
“I am not physically present in New York and I do not have an intention to live in New York in the future,” Simmons stated in a declaration filing issued Wednesday (May 22).
"I own no property in the United States. I have been living in Bali since 2018, which is where I intend to remain," the statement continued. "For at least nine years before I moved to Bali, I lived in California. As a California resident, I paid California resident taxes in the years immediately prior to moving to Bali. Currently, I pay California non-resident state taxes."
As multiple women have accused Simmons of sexual assault and harassment, the Queens native has vehemently denied the allegations, although music executive Drew Dixon has in the past alleged that Simmons raped her 1995. She tackled the alleged incident in 2020's HBO documentary On the Record, also suing Simmons for defamation in February, a suit Simmons has sought to be dismissed.
