WATCH: ‘On the Record,’ Drops New Trailer

By N. Jamiyla Chisholm May 04, 2020

Sexual assault survivors and advocates are anticipating the release of the new documentary “On the Record,” which shows how former music executive Drew Dixon became one of the first women of color in the #MeToo movement to publicly accuse Def Jam Recordings cofounder Russell Simmons of having raped her. The new streaming service HBO Max, where “On the Record” will debut, released a new trailer on April 21. 

The documentary, which premiered at the Sundance Festival earlier this January, had faced some bumps in the road when Oprah Winfrey and AppleTV+ dropped the film just weeks before it debuted, for what she called “inconsistencies in the stories."

Disagreeing, HBO Max’s head of original content at the streaming service Sarah Aubrey said, “The fierce determination of Drew Dixon and all of the women who bravely chose to share their stories in ‘On the Record’ moved us profoundly." In addition to Dixon, the doc also features screenwriter Jenny LumetSherri Hines (former member of the hip-hop duo Mercedes Ladies) and Black feminist author Joan Morgan (“When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost”).

HBO Max announced via an emailed press release that the Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering-directed doc will also premiere on May 27, when the service launches. In the meantime, watch the trailer above.