Kanye sexually assaulted me, says model, but he says it's art

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1:30alleging Kanye West, now known as Ye, sexually assaulted her on the set of a music video in 2010. Now this is a civil case, not criminal. Remember, when it's a criminal case, the defendant's freedom is on the line, and when it's civil, it's their money. We of course contacted Kanye's legal reps and we haven't had a response, but in his legal filings, we can see that he doesn't deny it took place, but he believes it was part of an artistic performance that Jen didn't object to. We've also offered him an interview. Just a warning, some of what you are about to hear is graphic and might be distressing for some listeners.

2:01But here's what Jen told me in New York. So Jen, we're here to talk about something that happened in 2010. But I want to take you back to 2009. Can you tell me about who you were then? Man, 2009, Jen. I was on the 13th season of America's Next Top Model, competing to be on top. and I got in third slash fourth place and I had moved from Philadelphia to New York pursuing my dream as an actor. When you came out of it you continued modeling. You'd made a name for yourself, people knew who you were and you continued to get modeling opportunities and then 2010 you saw a casting call for a music video.

2:44Can you talk me through what happened there? An audition came in for LaRue. It was for her music video. And I loved her music. So yeah, I auditioned for it and I got it. Can you remember what the casting call said? What was the role? So for that job, I was technically hired as a background actor, but I worked as a model. And when you got the casting call, you did the fitting, you got the job. Were you excited? I was so excited. I was so excited because every single job was a step closer to where I was going. yeah I loved it if we go back to the beginning of that day okay so when you arrive on the set for a big music video LaRue in for the kill what did it look like well the hotel itself is just so grand or was so grand and there were all of these production trucks outside so you can imagine the hum of the trucks and you know ramps built in where all the stairs are so there are just like so many people wheeling huge carts of you know lighting equipment and camera equipment up and down this like pretty small hotel um it has like a 20s feel to it and I don't know it was just it was fun and we were all just like chatting having a good time like looking at our different outfits and like talking about like how we were going to pose in them So you got there, you were having a good time.

4:13You were wearing your lingerie on that day. Yes. Do you feel comfortable in that outfit? As a model, I am used to being in very little clothing. So in terms of comfort, before the incident, I was comfortable. So talk to me about what happened when Kanye West arrived. um so we are literally in the middle of shooting a music video and we're probably hours into it and um all of a sudden all the crew members that were focusing on shooting our scene stop and everyone starts running around the chelsea hotel they're like kanye's coming kanye's coming so the models all just go into holding and um we're just waiting to see what we need to do And shortly after that, we were lined up in the hallway.

5:03Kanye came through and he chose three girls to be in the scene with him. And then we were led into the room where we were shooting the scene. And all of the crew members were also shuffled into that room. The room had a sofa on it and a chair. he sat one girl, me, himself, and another girl on the chair, on the sofa. And then he started the playback, which is the song that runs while you're shooting the Maisie video. And then he couldn't remember his lines. So instead of saying his lines, he just kept going. rah, rah, rah, rah, rah, rah, rah. And then after that, he yelled cut. He had the other two models leave the room.

6:04He pulled a chair up in front of the camera and he pulled a chair beside the camera. And he had me sit in the chair in front of the camera. And I didn't know what was going to happen. I was given no direction. I was just told to sit in this chair. And then playback started. And then all of a sudden, he just reaches a hand out and starts like choking me. And I'm just not sure what's happening. And then he pulled his other hand out and starts choking me with both hands and then starts smearing my makeup all over my face and sticking his hands inside of my mouth, which I think, I mean, it simulated like oral sex.

6:54It started, it started where he, he went up to my face and he was like smearing my, my makeup on my face and.

7:14Okay, do you need a minute? Yeah, sorry. It's okay.

7:32He was smearing the makeup on my face in a way that felt like he was trying to, I don't know, smearing the makeup all over my face in a way that just felt

7:46wrong uh he started sticking his fingers in my mouth and I feel like he was like trying to touch as much as he could and I was actively my tongue was like like hiding from him and he just like found everything you know what I'm saying like I couldn't so he was pushing his fingers because you said quite far into your mouth. Yeah, I mean, and everywhere he was, like, yeah. You say he had his hand around your throat. Could you breathe properly? Do you remember any discomfort like that? I remember feeling, like, so suffocated, like, unsure, like, scared. And were you aware of anything else that was happening on the set at the time?

8:31Was anybody speaking, trying to get involved? What can you remember? I remember everyone was so still and just like staring at me. That's all I remember. What's going through your head when that's happening? I think it's like a million things. I'm 24. This is like sort of my first foray into the industry. And in the moment I'm like, well, I can't stop this. What do I do? I stopped the whole production. What little old me? They don't care about me. No one's stopping you. So just let it happen. What are you going to do? You're going to stop and he's going to stop? Did you try and say anything? No.

9:19I just stared at him like, what are you doing? Why are you doing this? And then when I got no reaction from him, I just started looking around the room like someone. It was a room full of people. And I was looking around, like, hoping that someone would see me and be like, hey, maybe we should stop. And was he making direct eye contact with you while he was doing this? I remember him looking at me really intensely and licking his lips a lot. My face was so close to his. You know what I mean? Like the camera was like, like inches from my face. And his face was right next to it. What happens? How does this end?

10:12At some point he like reached like a point that I assumed he was very happy with himself. And he like yelled something like, this is art, I'm Picasso. And shortly after that I think he was just like, okay, I got what I want. but he just he just abruptly got up and left when he reached out his hand to grab you did you pull away or no I didn't because I was I didn't know what I was doing but I was like okay this is I just yeah no I was more frozen like so many it's like I could lose my job but I could also I don't know, mess this up in an even bigger way. What if, the weirdest things run through your head when something like that happens.

10:58And when he was moving the chairs, moving the cameras, setting the scene, was he talking to anybody else on the set? He was just like, I want this here, I want this here, I want, you know, he was just telling people what to do. And did he at any point, leading up to what you say took place, speak to you about what he was about to do, what he was trying to emulate, as he says he was trying to emulate a scene in American Psycho. Did he talk to you at all? No. I was given zero direction. I had no idea what my purpose was on that set for him. And at the beginning of the day, had you been made aware that somebody might touch you during the filming?

11:44Had there been a discussion with your agent or anything like that? No. And, you know, back in 2010, there wasn't as much protection for actors as there is now. But I will say that even back then, in a casting notice, they would tell you before you auditioned for the project, nudity, simulated sex, sexual situations. Yeah, I mean, you get all that information beforehand. And that was not given to me. So no, I had no idea. How many people do you think were in the room? I feel like if I could like look at like what it was like for me to be in a classroom as a child it was like that sort of there was a lot of people in the room.

12:23And we asked Kanye if he spoke to you at all before what you say took place happened and we haven't got a response but we do know in some of the legal filings what his lawyers have written. They say that set was a collaborative atmosphere where they're pushing the boundaries the artistic boundaries and that you were a consenting member of that scene. Is that how you remember it? I worked with the directors before Kanye showed up on set. Anything that was asked of me was asked of me, and it was offered to me before I was forced to do it. So do I agree that it was a collaborative set? Absolutely.

13:04Do I believe that it was collaborative once Kanye entered the set? No. I don't believe that any collaboration was happening whatsoever. There was no concern for my safety or my comfort or even my consent. So no, I did not consent to it. I was on the phone with my agent right after I left the room and then LaRue was walking down the hallway so I got off the phone with my agent and I went over to LaRue and she was like, I'm so sorry that happened to you. That's horrific. I'm so sorry. And then I was like, um, you're not gonna air that, right? Like, you're not gonna share that with anyone. Because like, I can't have my mom see that.

13:49And she was like, no, of course not. No, I would never. And did anybody else, the directors, producers speak to you about what happened and what was going to happen with the footage? Not that I remember, no. Did you consider going to the police? No. Why not? I didn't consider going to the police because I was in a room full of people when it happened. So I guess I felt like what recourse could there be and why would I put myself through that when nothing is going to happen to him? Why did you think nothing would happen to him? This was 2010. Not enough people were concerned about protecting women and sexual assault and the accountability of those perpetrators.

14:44So yeah, I didn't know what the point was. I was in a room full of all these industry important people and nothing was happening. What were the cops going to do? Did anybody reach out to you in the following weeks from the music set? No. I left my shoes there. And they tried to return my shoes, which I did not get back. That was it? Mm-hmm. Now, when you read Kanye's lawyer's responses, they offer up a motive for why you filed this lawsuit. They say you're weaponizing the Gender-Motivated Violence Act to silence Kanye because you don't like some of the controversial things he's tweeted and said in recent years.

15:27How do you respond to that? I think a lot of people don't like a lot of things that Kanye said and that's not a reason for me to bring a lawsuit I'm bringing a lawsuit because he did something to me that I want him to be held accountable for I think those are two different things so you say this took place in 2010 and you filed your lawsuit in 2024 what was going through your head in 2024 that you wanted to file a lawsuit 14 years after what you said happened? I didn't do anything immediately because I didn't think that anything could happen, right? That anyone would get my back or that there would be any recourse for Kanye.

16:05But then after that, I did start looking for law firms. And I called law firms because after the Weinstein case, I was like, you know what? This is an opening. Things can happen. And part of that was you reaching out to Leroux. Do you have a relationship? Did you stay friends or anything? No, I don't have a relationship with LaRue really other than this experience that we shared in a way. So you decide to file this lawsuit and you're going to reach out to LaRue who is a world-renowned artist, right? You don't have a relationship with her and there's no friendship there. What's going through your head when you send that message?

16:45I was literally praying. I was praying that she remembered it. I was praying that it was as big of a moment in her life as much as mine and that she didn't forget about me and that she cared and that it affected her the same way that it affected me because there was hardly any conversation afterwards you know so can i see them yeah of course yeah right so this is with her official official instagram account yes do you mind if i read it no please do to you asking if she remembers what happened and you're telling her that you want to file the lawsuit so you guys are messaging back and forth here with her this is your official account with her official account you're asking her basically to corroborate your claims yes she says in one message quote i saw it i was in the room behind the monitor begging the directors and everyone else to do something but everyone was scared of him and did nothing which is where my trauma comes from you're saying I'm crying I'm crying so hard you apologize to her you say I'm so sorry I didn't even think about your experience through it she says I'm gonna directly quote here he knew exactly what he was doing he thought it was funny and I can't deal with that he whispered to me quote I bet you think I just put women back about 10 years I responded quote you just put women back about 500 years and then she says he's a expletive piece of work so did you know they'd had that interaction not until that text how did reading that message affect you i think i cried so hard i cried because you know to be honest with you i was like kind of mad at her you know like i was like you're the you're this is your music video you know so i i guess i it It made me realize like he traumatized everybody on set.

18:45Recently he came out and apologized to the African-American community, apologized to the Jewish community for some of the very controversial statements he's made in public and on Twitter. Ex, formerly Twitter. Did you see that? I did not. I do not follow Kanye. In hearing that now, he's kind of trying to make apologies and he said he's finding his way back home. says he takes full accountability for some of the stuff he said, speaks about his mental health issues with bipolar. How does that make you feel? How do you reflect on that? Mental health issues are real. If he needs help, he should get help.

19:21In the meantime, he has done some things that need a little bit more than an apology. I think it's a good place to start, and I think he should. When you file a civil lawsuit in the US, you have to have damages. It's just one of the mechanisms that you have to have for the complaint to work, right? You have to have something that says, this is how you damaged me, and this is why I deserve justice, in the form of compensation. That's the system. Now, you talk about emotional distress. You talk about monetary damages. Can you describe to me how this has lost you money? Yeah. I think as an actor, the more you're willing to audition for, the more opportunities you have.

20:08The fact that I, for almost my entire career, was not willing to work on... If you want a longstanding job, it's going to get romantic in acting. So I've said no to huge jobs, little jobs, any job that pretty much touches an uncomfortable situation for me. We did reach out to Kanye for his perspective. But a lot of that we get in the legal filings from his lawyers. And one of the arguments ultimately is that there's no denial that this action took place, but essentially that it's art. How does that make you feel when you hear that argument? I think it's really disgusting that anyone would try to use art as a reason that they can sexually assault someone.

21:06And I think it would set a precedent that would endanger so many people. when I'm over here trying to do the complete opposite of protecting people that have not had to go through a situation like this before? And another element of their argument is that you voluntarily continued in the scene. You didn't try to leave. You didn't verbally object to what was happening. And therefore, you participated, in their argument, in the creation of this art, which they say is constitutionally protected under the First Amendment. Do you think that you made it clear that you were objecting to what was happening in that scene?

21:46Yes. And I think that if you ask anyone else in the room, they would agree with me. Did other people express to you that they felt that you didn't consent to what was happening? Yeah. Like when I spoke to the makeup artist, I remember her just saying that that was horrible, that that should have never happened to me. You were at an early stage in this process, right? Civil lawsuits can take a long time. You haven't done discovery yet. We don't know if this will proceed to trial. If you could go back to the Jen that was on that music set, like you say, left alone after he'd walked off, what would you say to her?

22:23What I would say to myself, I would say, you need to fight this because you can't let this happen again. So you went through this for a reason. make sure you affect change that's what i would say thank you thanks that was jennifer on telling me her story now we contacted umg universal music group the directors on the set at the time the makeup artist and larue to respond to all the allegations jen has made and we've not had a response now after i spoke to jen i also interviewed her attorney jesse weinstein about the different components that make up this case and how he responds to Kanye's legal arguments.

23:04Jesse, you've been representing Jen since 2024. And I first reached out to you pretty much exactly a year ago while I was here covering the Diddy trial. And when you spoke to me, you said that this civil lawsuit was quite unique. What did you mean by that? So we took our time before filing because we invested in a private investigator to help us gather witnesses, documents, and corroborating evidence. That's part of building the case. That's probably what makes it most unique compared to other cases is that there's not usually dozens of people in an audience sort of setting watching what happens to our clients in real time.

23:41And I asked Jen this as well, but they do frame this as quite a dangerous lawsuit towards art because it says to permit such claims to proceed would mean that every actor, director, and artist involved in provocative film, theatre, or music video productions, whether depicting violence, sexuality, or both could face retroactive criminalization and personal liability whenever a performer later regrets or reimagines their participation. How do you respond to that? There's a line. This might be in the line-wide as an entertainment case, but this is a workplace incident. Jen was working, and there is a difference between art and sexual assault.

24:16This was an unscripted moment where he showed up on set and he did something that Jen had no clue was coming. Jen had no clue that she was even going to have physical contact with him before this incident even happened. And so I think that it's a pretty broad statement to say that everybody who calls themselves an artist should just be able to walk into a space where creativity is happening and do whatever they want and call it art. I think that's the dangerous slippery slope on the other side of the coin. Something else they focus in on is the language used in the original complaint. They say that you frequently use the word emulate.

24:51He was trying to emulate a scene from American Psycho. He was trying to recreate, pay homage to. Not that he was trying to actually do the thing depicted in those scenes. And therefore, there's a difference. There is the creation of art where he was copying another piece of art. How do you respond to that? Again, I disagree. And it's for the court to decide the case's fate literally on this question of whether this was art or whether this was a sexual assault. And I just I completely disagree as legal counsel that somebody actually has to be forcing her to have oral sex with him in order for this to be sexual assault.

25:26You can emulate certain things and it can still rise to the level of sexual assault. It can still rise to the level of an assault, which is it doesn't even have to be a sexual assault under the Gender Motivated Violence Act, by the way. If we prove that this was an assault because she was a woman, we still meet our burden of proof. And so I don't put too much weight into their argument that there's a difference or some sort of a distinction. Well, they draw on the fact that Jen recalls him saying, this is art, I am like Picasso, as an example that he was articulating that what he was doing in that moment was creating art.

25:59Again, and I think they're conflating what his impression of what he was doing was with what was actually going on. Even if he somehow convinced himself that what he was doing was art, the story that the evidence tells was that he targeted her and he committed an act of sexual violence against her in front of a camera that he orchestrated. Now, Kanye's lawyers say that this falls squarely under New York's anti-slap laws. Now, that means strategic lawsuits against public participation. So they contend that this music video was of public interest and that it's protected under his First Amendment rights because he was creating art.

26:36and that the furtherance of that First Amendment protection was him setting up the cameras, directing people on the set. That was him expressing his art. And therefore, technically, the whole thing that took place is protected. And therefore, you cannot take this to trial anyway. What do you think about that? I think it's short-sighted. I disagree respectfully. And I understand that Kanye has a right to defend himself and his lawyers are doing their jobs and there are certain claims, creative ones. But again, I don't think that just because he's calling it art and just because it falls squarely into a public sort of atmosphere that he's protected against allegations of sexual assault.

27:17What kind of a precedent would it set, in your opinion, if this doesn't get it to stay in court? A very dangerous one. I think this allows creators to basically do whatever they want to whomever they want in creative spaces and get away with it as long as they call it art. And I think that that's a really, really dangerous precedent to set. We know that the entertainment world has changed in the wake of the Me Too movement, but there's still a long way to go. There are still really powerful people who are abusing that power and taking advantage of people. And women are at the forefront of those people who are being exploited, who are being blackmailed, who are being pressured to do things that they don't want to do.

27:59And so I think if we're looking at the entertainment world, it's a really not safe space for women in a lot of ways. A lot of women would say they don't feel safe in the entertainment world. And I think that a ruling like this that throws the case away under the guise of art is going to create a lot of fear, but also a lot of confidence from the people who are in positions of power to just do whatever they want to unscathed. Why did you want Jen to speak publicly about this? I think that Jen has a right to tell her story. And I thought that speaking to you would give her an opportunity to speak to other people who may be in the same situation that she was or who may have experienced something similar.