Joe Budden has responded to claims by DJ Olivia Dope that she was sexually harassed by the former rap star.
Olivia Dope is Budden’s former co-host of See, The Thing Is. Yesterday, May 17, Dope issued a statement where she made the accusations. She alleged that Budden made several and continuous sexual remarks to her that made her feel uncomfortable.
Not surprisingly, a little while after the statement was made public, a video began making the rounds on social media, which showed Joe Budden giving Dope a hug during the recording in a somewhat provocative manner as his hips could be seen moving during the embrace.
The Rolling Stone obtained Joey’s official statement responding to Dope’s allegations. He acknowledged his role in making Dope feel uncomfortable and apologized for the incident as well. While he didn’t totally admit to sexual harassment, he said that the episode would be removed to not further escalate Dope’s trauma.
“As a podcaster, it is my job to address topics and create dialogue around them,” Budden said in his statement. “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. 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.”
He added that he and the network support women’s rights to feel comfortable while doing their job and that they should be protected and feel protected in the workplace. Budden also admitted that his podcast fell short of that and pledges to make it right by first start listening.
He ended the statement by saying that it was the network’s intention to “elevate Black women’s voices and create opportunities to have constructive conversations to impact change.”
