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Journalist and Surviving R. Kelly Participant Touré Accused of Sexual Harassment

Toure Neblett Accused of Sexual Harassment

Journalist Touré Neblett, known professionally as just Touré, has been accused of sexual harassment by a makeup artist, Essence reports. The makeup artist, who goes by Dani, accused Touré of workplace misconduct she says took place in 2017 when they worked together on a Time Inc. show. The allegations follow the journalist’s appearance in the Surviving R. Kelly documentary detailing numerous allegations of sexual assault and abuse against the singer.

The allegation surfaced after Touré appeared on The Clubhouse with Mouse Jones to discuss his 2008 BET interview with R Kelly where he asked the singer if he was attracted to underage girls. Dani responded to an Instagram clip of the appearance, accusing the journalist of acting inappropriately towards her when they worked together. Before the comment was deleted, it was screen capped and shared by Essence.

“He couldn’t stop asking me to do anal, how I looked naked, if I had sex over the weekend, what it would be like to fuck me,” Dani wrote about working with Touré on the People/Entertainment Weekly show. She added that she often made sure to have other crew members in the room while she got Touré ready for his show. Before she left the show in 2017, Dani says she reported him to human resources, and by her account, Touré was fired. His rep disputed that claim, telling Essence that he stopped working with Time Inc. because his contract expired.

Also included in Essence‘s reporting are screenshots of an apology between Dani and Touré when she privately called him out for his alleged harassment after she noticed him appearing on media to condemn Harvey Weinstein’s alleged behavior. Touré apologized.

“Look, I’ve learned a lot watching this happen,” he wrote in a private message to Dani. “The way I teased you is no longer funny to me.”

Touré’s rep issued the following statement to Essence:

“On the show, our team, including myself, engaged in edgy, crass banter, that at the time I did not think was offensive for our tight-knit group. I am sorry for my language and for making her feel uncomfortable in any way. As a lead on the show, I should have refrained from this behavior. I have learned and grown from this experience.”

Touré was scheduled to film an interview with actor Terry Crews yesterday, but Crews announced that it was canceled after the misconduct allegations surfaced.

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