The longtime music journalist Touré has been accused of sexual harassment by a former co-worker, who also called him a hypocrite for speaking out against R. Kelly in the “Surviving R. Kelly” docuseries.
Not only was Touré in the doc, he interviewed the R&B singer in the past, most famously in 2008 when he asked Kelly about liking teenager girls. The former MSNBC host also discussed Kelly on Mouse Jones’ podcast recently, and Touré’s accuser left a comment underneath a promotional video for the show.
The woman, who goes by Dani and worked with Touré two years ago on the “People/Entertainment Weekly” show, claims he constantly sexually harassed her.
“Every Monday I used to work with him on a show in 2017, and he couldn’t stop asking me to do anal, how I looked naked, if I had sex over the weekend, what it would be like to f–k me,” she described.
Dani said it got to the point where she wouldn’t be in a room alone with Touré, and after quitting she reported him to Human Resources. Touré was then fired, she claimed.
His accuser also revealed that Touré texted her an apology, which she posted online.
Dani spoke with Essence about the alleged harassment as well and said she not only had a problem with Touré speaking against Kelly, he also addressed the #MeToo movement, which greatly upset her.
“He went on Hot 97 to talk about Harvey Weinstein,” she explained. “I accepted his apology and was okay to move on, but you can’t be a sexual predator and go around shaming other predators.”
“When I saw him going around as R. Kelly’s docuseries’ spokesman to different radio stations, the lies had to stop,” she continued. “I’ve worked with Mouse Jones before and wanted him to know the truth.”
Dani also gave more details about the alleged harassment on her Instagram page.
“Let’s reverse roles,” she wrote. “You’re at work and this co-worker comes to your desk every Monday for an hour, she’s disgusting, bad breath, sh– in her teeth, eating while you’re trying to work, you constantly have to tell her to put on deodorant. Also, sweat is dripping on your desk because she decided to ride her bike to work, and every Monday she leans over your desk and says ‘I just want my p—y all over you’re face.’”
“You actually do something about it, she gets fired and now is the spokesperson for feminism. Had a whole documentary on feminism. You sat and watch her be a hypocrite for six hours. You wouldn’t feel a certain way?”
Touré has already responded to the allegations through a representative, admitted his wrongdoing and issued an apology.
“On the show, our team, including myself, engaged in edgy, crass banter, that at the time I did not think was offensive for our tight-knit group. I am sorry for my language and for making her feel uncomfortable in any way. As a lead on the show, I should have refrained from this behavior. I have learned and grown from this experience.”
