Joe Budden’s precipitous and perhaps permanent fall from his perch as a prominent podcast personality is being accelerated further by an accusation of sexual harassment from former co-host DJ Olivia Dope.
The rapper-turned-podcast host and owner of The Joe Budden Network has been accused of facilitating and being the creator of a toxic work environment on more than one occasion. This insidious environment has led to the cancellation of the formerly popular podcast.
Budden, 40, who admits he suffers from a bipolar disorder, had recently fired his two co-hosts, Rory Farrell and Jamil “Mal” Clay — even terminating one of them during a live broadcast — over an alleged disagreement about honoring their contract percentages.
However, this latest charge by DJ Dope on Monday, May 17, 2021, is even more damning. She claims that Budden made repeated unwanted overtures, particularly in January, which prompted her to leave the show on short notice. She explained to her 42,000 Instagram followers the thinking behind her actions.
“I’m doing this video to finally explain why I left the ‘See, The Thing Is’ podcast as well as The Joe Budden Network. I sat with this for three months, anxiously debating with myself if I feel comfortable enough to express my reasoning for my departure.” Dope said. “It’s been a lot on my spirit. I’ve had a lot of sleepless nights in the past couple of months. I have constant reminders of what has transpired, so bear with me as I try to get this out.”
DJ Dope paused to compose herself and then continued. “I am here today, still uncomfortable, but I find the bravery to speak out on a very embarrassing situation. Not only to start my healing process but to help give encouragement to others who have similar stories of sexual harassment in the workplace.”
She explained how the episode on Jan. 18 made her uncomfortable. “Joe Budden sat in on a recording of the female-led podcast I was a part of and continuously made sexual, suggestive remarks to me that made me extremely uncomfortable as well as fearful of dampening the mood if I didn’t laugh along while he made those sexual remarks to me. Those moments not only live on the internet forever, but it also forced me into the decision of quitting the podcast.”
After outlining other instances of alleged harassment perpetrated by Budden, she finished the video, saying: “There were attempts to intimidate, attempts to silence me. I can’t be silenced. I absolutely cannot.”
Flip the page to view DJ Olivia Dope’s testimonial.
