Russell Simmons on Harriet Tubman video critics: 'They tried to turn me into Paula Deen'

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Media mogul Russel Simmons joined Aresenio Hall on his new late night show last night, and commented on the controversial Harriet Tubman video his digital group produced.

“Let’s go through the Harriet Tubman, [All Def Digital] thing real quick,” Hall said.

“You know, it was probably the worst idea of my life,” Simmons said. But quickly followed with, “I mean, it wasn’t my idea. I didn’t produce it, write it or, but I gave access to it and I let it play. Most people didn’t see it but complained about it.”

Simmons admitted the video was in “really bad taste.”

“It was this idea that this slave took advantage of a slave master and black mailed him,” Simmons described the video. “And it really struck a nerve with people and hurt their feelings, so I pulled it down within a few hours of it going up, and I tried to move on. ”

Simmons said everyone has a right to be as outraged as they want to be, but he didn’t expect the backlash to continue as far as it has.

“But a lot of these do-nothing negros, they were very angry and kept talking, so it’s been very tough for me,” Simmons said. “They tried to turn me into Paula Deen.”

Watch the full interview above and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Follow Carrie Healey on Twitter @CarrieHeals.