Source: Phillip Faraone / Getty
On Monday, May 17, DJ Olivia Dope accused Joe Budden of sexual harassment after leaving her gig at the Joe Budden Network a few months ago. The rapper turned podcaster has responded to her allegations, and has apoogized.
According to Dope, Budden sexually harassed her when he was a guest on episode no. 16 of See, The Things Is, the female-led podcast that she was still a part of at the time. The detailed account she shared on Instagram included timestamps that corresponded to the aforementioned episode of the podcast where she provided a play by play of Budden speaking to her inappropriately and making her uncomfortable while she attemptoed to to laugh it off.
Budden issued a statement to Rolling Stone on Tuesday, May 18, and said, “As a podcaster, it is my job to address topics and create dialogue around them. During the conversation on the See, The Thing Is podcast I didn’t handle the topics with the sensitivity they deserved. I recognize my words and power in that situation created an upsetting environment for Olivia. Upon reflection, both the network and I take accountability for this.”
Budden does acknowledge that he was out of line, and he even apologized.
The “Pump It Up” rapper added, “I apologize sincerely to Olivia, her former co-hosts, our staff, and the public. In an effort to not further any trauma, the episode will be removed from all platforms. We support all women’s rights to feel comfortable and protected in the workplace. We fell short of that in this instance. We support Olivia in her quest to heal, applaud her for finding the strength to share her experience, and wish her the best in all her future endeavors. I am taking the time to listen and learn; we have already begun to make the necessary changes to ensure this is a safe environment for all moving forward. We at the network endeavor to continue to elevate Black women’s voices and create opportunities to have constructive conversations to impact change.”
Time will tell if this apology is enough to get Budden out of the scalding hot water he is in. This latest debacle comes after he fired co-host Rory from this eponymous podcast and after a history of allegations of Budden putting his hands on multiple former girlfriends.
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