Olivia claims that the broadcaster 'made sexual, suggestive remarks to [her] that made [her] extremely uncomfortable' during the recording of an episode of 'See, the Thing Is' podcast for the Joe Budden Network.
- May 19, 2021
AceShowbiz - Joe Budden has expressed his remorse for his past action to Olivia Dope. After the former host of the Joe Budden Network podcast "See, the Thing Is" accused him of sexual harassment, the broadcaster apologized "sincerely" to her.
The 40-year-old issued his statement on Tuesday, May 18. "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 first stated.
"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," the media personality added. "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," he concluded his message. "We at the network endeavor to continue to elevate Black women's voices and create opportunities to have constructive conversations to impact change."
Joe's apology came after Olivia brought up the accusations in an Instagram video that was shared on May 17. She claimed that he was invited as a guest on the 16th episode of her podcast. However, throughout the episode, he "continuously made sexual, suggestive remarks to [her] that made [her] extremely uncomfortable as well as fearful of dampening the mood if [she] didn't laugh along while he made those sexual remarks to [her]."
The DJ also described the moment when Budden asked to hug her. She explained, "It's unbeknownst to me until I actually watch back the episode that he was moving his hips while he was hugging me." She captioned it, "Episode 16 of 'See, the Thing Is...' was the final straw of three months on the JBN. It took a lot to get to this point to speak up, but the healing begins now. Thank you to all my Olivia Dope supporters up until this point and beyond."
