Usher Gets Backlash for Visiting Russell Simmons in Bali

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Usher is getting some serious backlash for visiting Russell Simmons in Bali after the music mogul's past rape allegations.

Usher Gets Backlash for Visiting Russell Simmons in Bali After Music Mogul's Past Rape Allegations

On Sunday (March 3), Russell Simmons shared a video on his Instagram Story that showed Usher partaking in a yoga class alongside the Def Jam cofounder. The R&B star was reportedly vacationing in Bali with his new wife Jennifer Goicoechea, and decided to visit Simmons for a yoga retreat.

"Morning flow with a bunch of really happy Bali friends the generosity of spirit exuded by my friend @usher was amazing," Simmons captioned his post. “Fyi people were / are always so happy to be in his presence …so when i / they practice with him its a honor and privilege but the presence and attention he gives to each person is a gift. its tough to be present with so many of us ‘ fans’ each one of us demanding presence and focus its rare that a person can give so much w/ out it draining his energy …”

Simmons added that Usher's visit served as divine timing for him, as he recounted being at the "lowest point" in his life.

Simmons wrote alongside another video of Usher: “When i was at the lowest point in my life i woke up and this man was sitting by my bed .. i had known usher since he was a kid but we really bonded because of our mutual love for self discovery and our belief in Yogic science as a direct route to realizing Gods conciousness in ourselves …People remember to remember this ..a friend walks in when others walk out … i will never forget the generosity of spirit i witnessed in this man God bless you baby bro @usher [prayer hands emoji love you !!!!"

Despite all this loving energy, fans were infuriated that the R&B singer would pay a visit to Simmons, who has faced years of sexual assault accusations from various women. Simmons has apologized numerous times for being insensitive, but has claimed he was never violent towards women.

Fans React to Usher Visiting Russell Simmons in Bali

Fans flooded X, formerly known as Twitter, with their disapproval of Usher's recent visit to Bali. A lot of fans recalled Usher's longtime relationship with record executive L.A. Reid, who has been accused of sexual assault as recent as November of 2023. Other fans were just confused why Usher would risk a PR nightmare of this nature after arguably one of the biggest years in his career. The singer capped off a historic Las Vegas Residency in December of 2023, and performed at the Super Bowl halftime show in February.