After being accused of sexual harassment, budding entertainment mogul Joe Budden apologized to DJ Olivia Dope for his inappropriate actions perpetrated toward her during her time as a co-host on the podcast, See, The Thing Is.
“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,” he noted in a statement.
“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,” Budden continued. “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.”
DJ Olivia Dope released a video on her social media detailing why she quit and how upset she was by Joe’s antics. Watch it in totality below.
Joe Budden has been in the spotlight for unethical business practices for the last few weeks, only months after launching his Joe Budden Podcast Network.
It seems that his brash and borderline misogynistic banter is coming back to bite him in the butt … or maybe is the setup for a very interesting return to “Love & Hip Hop.”
After all, his storyline was super corny during his last season.
