Amber Dixon Brenner, The Woman Accusing Salim Akil Of Domestic Abuse, Speaks Up
Amber Dixon Brenner, the actress who accused popular TV showrunner Salim Akil of domestic abuse, has finally spoken up after the Oprah Winfrey Network canceled one of Akil’s shows, according to a report from Deadline.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Brenner filed a lawsuit against Akil alleging that he abused her physically, sexually, and verbally while the two were engaging in an extramarital affair that lasted almost 10 years. Brenner accused Akil of several acts of abuse including, slapping her and forcing her to perform sexual acts on him on numerous occasions. She recalled one incident where Akil allegedly forced her to perform oral sex on him in a public bathroom before urinating on her.
After the allegations were made public, OWN canceled Love Is__, a romantic drama created by Akil and his creative powerhouse wife, Mara Brock Akil. Brenner also accused Akil of copyright infringement, saying he allegedly stole ideas from a screenplay she shared with him during their relationship and used them in the OWN series.
Now, in an exclusive interview with Deadline, the actress is sharing more details of her story.
“I got to a point where I could no longer live with myself and be the mother I wanted to be, be the Amber I always dreamed of being if I tolerated the history of the abuse,” she said, explaining why she decided to file the lawsuits against Akil. “I could not walk with my head up,” she added.
She went on to say she was prompted to come forward after seeing Mara Brock Akil on a magazine cover discussing the Me Too Movement. She also claimed that Brock Akil was aware of her affair with Akil throughout their marriage. Brenner explained how she reached out to Akil and his wife, but the couple wasn’t super responsive regarding the situation.
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LOVE IS___ a playlist! One of the through lines in our relationship and body of work is #music! Check out my playlist on @itunes @spotify @pandora It’s all #90sLove #InTheLandOf #AnRnBTypeOfLove
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She also said OWN did the “right thing” by canceling Love Is__, despite the fact that an internal investigation launched by Warner Bros. Television found no evidence of misconduct on Akil’s part on Love Is__ or Black Lightning.
When asked about her feelings surrounding the entire ordeal, she said it’s a “sad situation.”
“It’s tragic to me that these things ever happened. It’s tragic to me that my work was stolen and then misappropriated to their supposed love story,” she said.
It’s believed that this is a part of the reason OWN canceled the show. Brenner’s allegations have sort of tainted the show’s storyline.
“The narrative has changed,” a source explained, according to Deadline.
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