A photograph of John Legend and Harvey Weinstein posing together in 2016 has resurfaced, and Legend took to Twitter on Monday (Jan. 7) to respond to backlash about his not “publicly denouncing” it.
The “All of Me” singer appears in the Lifetime docuseries Surviving R. Kelly, which discusses the sexual assault and abuse allegations made against R. Kelly. Legend was one of the few celebrities willing to be in the series, and received heavy praise once it aired.
After being criticized for not giving Weinstein the same treatment, Legend tweeted his response. “I took a photo with and worked with Harvey on several occasions before his abuse was known to me and the rest of the world,” he said. “Since his being exposed, his company and career have rightfully been destroyed and he’s been indicted. Sounds like something that should happen to R Kelly.”
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The image, from the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, shows Legend smiling with his wife, Chrissy Teigen, and Weinstein.
Legend then went on to explain that no one asked him to be in a documentary about Weinstein, while he was friends with the director of the Surviving R. Kelly series. “I don’t just go around interviewing for every exposé,” he tweeted.
Check out Legend’s tweets below:
If y’all wanna cape for R and discount all these women’s stories, just say it. Don’t bring up some old pics of me and somebody else. https://t.co/2wus2P7vNm
— John Legend (@johnlegend) January 8, 2019
No one asked me to be in a Harvey doc. I’m friends with the #SurvivingRKelly director and several protestors in the #MuteRKelly movement so I had a personal connection and agreed to appear. I don’t just go around interviewing for every exposé. This is dumb
— John Legend (@johnlegend) January 8, 2019