Apple TV+ and Oprah Drop Documentary on Sexual Misconduct in the Music Industry Over Creative Differences

A documentary focusing on sexual misconduct in the music industry will no longer air on Apple TV+, as Oprah, who brought the project to the streaming TV service, has stepped away from it.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Oprah today said that she will no longer be an executive producer on the project and it will not be offered on ‌Apple TV‌+. Oprah believes there’s more work to be done on the film and that it’s not ready to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival that the filmmakers want to debut it at. From a statement Oprah gave to The Hollywood Reporter:

I have decided that I will no longer be executive producer on The Untitled Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering Documentary and it will not air on ‌Apple TV‌+.

First and foremost, I want it to be known that I unequivocally believe and support the women. Their stories deserve to be told and heard. In my opinion, there is more work to be done on the film to illuminate the full scope of what the victims endured, and it has become clear that the filmmakers and I are not aligned in that creative vision.

Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering are talented filmmakers. I have great respect for their mission but given the filmmakers’ desire to premiere the film at the Sundance Film Festival before I believe it is complete, I feel it’s best to step aside. I will be working with Time’s Up to support the victims and those impacted by abuse and sexual harassment.

News of Oprah and Apple’s interest in the documentary came in early December after Oprah signed on to executive produce the film. The documentary explores alleged sexual misconduct in the music industry, following a former music executive who struggles with whether or not to go public with her story of assault and abuse by well-known music industry titan Russell Simmons.

The documentary was created by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, who have previously worked on several other documentaries, including “The Hunting Ground,” exposing sexual assault on college campuses and “The Bleeding Edge,” an exposé on the medical device industry.

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