Questlove Severs Ties With His Company CEO Following Misconduct Allegations
The Roots drummer stands with ‘the brave women who came forward’ and calls Abiola Oke’s resignation ‘long overdue’ amid allegations of workplace misconduct.
AceShowbiz –Questlove has welcomed the resignation of Abiola Oke, the CEO and publisher of his OkayPlayer media platform, following allegations of workplace misconduct made by black female employees.
The Roots musician co-founded Okayplayer in 1987 before it became a hip-hop and alternative music news site and spawned a spin-off site, OkayAfrica, focused on music and news from the continent.
The organisation has been hit by scandal this week after several women who worked at both sites shared an open letter calling for Oke’s firing, accusing him of presiding over a workplace environment that left them subject to “targeting and sabotage, slander, verbal abuse, inappropriate behavior, gaslighting,” and other alleged abuses.
Announcing his resignation on Instagram, Questlove shared a company statement severing ties with the executive and added, “More announcements coming up. This was long overdue.”
The statement reads, “Effective immediately, we have severed all ties and accepted the resignation of Abiola Oke as CEO and Publisher of Okayplayer and OkayAfrica. We take the allegations that have surfaced very seriously, and we stand with the brave women who came forward.”
It goes on to pledge to engage an outside adviser to review the organisation’s past and present policies.
In their letter, shared on Twitter by signatory Ivie Ani, the women wrote, “From 2015 to 2020, several Black Women working across Okayplayer and OkayAfrica were subject to a lack of support and resources, below market salaries, inadequate leadership, targeting and sabotage, slander, verbal abuse, inappropriate behavior, gaslighting, lack of empathy, manipulation, rationalizing poor or unethical conduct and wrongful termination.”
They went on to demand his removal as CEO, the appointment of a more diverse board, and workers to join a key investor pool.
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