DJ Olivia Dope, former co-host of See, The Thing Is -- a podcast on The Joe Budden Network -- has come forward to share a twenty-six-minute video on her Instagram page, during which she accuses Joe Budden of sexual harassment.
"I am doing this video today to finally explain my departure from the See, The Thing Is podcast as well as the Joe Budden Network," she begins, before explaining her hope that her message will be heard by those who have faced similar experiences.
"On Jan. 18, 2021, 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," she states. "Those moments not only live on the internet forever, but it also forced me into the decision of quitting the podcast."
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"It was traumatizing, embarrassing, and I've decided that I have to speak up," she continues. "Not only was it important for me to walk away from it, but it's important to heal myself and probably help others in the future. This probably wouldn't be the best situation to enter into, working with this person."
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She cites a specific episode (16), proceeding to share timestamps of the incidents in question. "I'm going to start from 13:48, Joe calls me out saying I never reached out to him privately or personally," she continues. "This information is important because it proves my lack of familiarity with this person. That's what makes everything that transpired afterward so uncomfortable...At 13:34, there's an edit, because Joe says him and I should speak more, because 'he's been wanting to fuck me since we met.'
"Everyone in the studio laughed uncomfortably while one of my co-hosts confirmed that to be true," says Dope. "I am mortified by this revelation not only because it was done in front of the entire production staff but it was done while we were recording audio as well as visual...That scene was cut out...At 19:26 seconds, another edit happens because Joe makes another suggestion to having sex with me." Her list goes on, and Dope accuses Budden of creating a "hostile work environment" by suggesting her co-hosts didn't dress as "sexy" as her.
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After quoting several additional inappropriate comments, Dope notes that Budden asked for an on-air hug, a clip that has since begun to circulate on Twitter. “It’s unbeknownst to me until I actually watch back the episode that he was moving his hips while he was hugging me," she states. "I laugh uncomfortably because I don't know what else to do at that point. Everyone else is kind of chuckling, and I sit back down." She notes that she made it clear she was uncomfortable, stating as much later on in the episode.
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"I am mortified that when you search Olivia Dope, the brand I have spent ten years building, that comes up," she continues. "I am mortified that after I quit, I had to have a heart-to-heart conversation with the child I gave birth to, because she can find it on the internet, her friends can find it on the internet, her teachers, and say that's your mother being belittled and sexually harassed and called a bitch."
As of now, Joe Budden has yet to respond to Olivia Dope's allegations. He is currently in the midst of a tumultuous falling out with his former Joe Budden Podcast co-hosts Rory and Mal. Check out Dope's full statement below.
