On the heels of the freshman premiere of Hulu’s The Kardashians in April, an age-old topic for the reality TV family has resurfaced – the 2007 sex tape between Kim and Ray J. The Skims CEO supposedly learned right at the time of filming her new series that her ex’s manager was planning to release more footage from that time. But the scheme was, ultimately, revealed to be thwarted when Kardashian’s ex-husband Kanye West stepped in to fix the situation and retrieve the X-rated material. The saga continues of late, though, as R finally breaks his silence by refuting West and Kim Kardashian’s on-screen comments.
Following the revelations on the show, the former Moesha star had only cryptically posted on social media that what was being said about him and the sex tape was a “lie.” He elaborated further in a bombshell tell-all interview with the Daily Mail, specifically about the suggestion on The Kardashians that he was the source behind the touted leak:
I've never leaked anything. I have never leaked a sex tape in my life. It has never been a leak. It's always been a deal and a partnership between Kris Jenner and Kim and me and we've always been partners since the beginning of this thing.
As much has been suspected over the years – that momager Kris Jenner negotiated some sort of sex tape release deal for the benefit of Kim Kardashian. It’s always been publicly denied by the family, yet the "One Wish" singer told the outlet that he had signed a contract with them that prohibited him from speaking out about it. That’s obviously all out the window now. The former partner to the reality star clarified his original “lie” statement, too, saying:
When I put on the comments that all of this is a lie, I didn't mean Kanye coming to meet with me about some second sex tape. I mean all of this is all a lie. From the beginning of us putting this sex tape out, this has been the biggest lie in the industry in the history of entertainment. They're not letting the world know that there's a bunch of sex tapes that we made but they're not going anywhere because she has them all.
According to Ray J, Kim Kardashian was the one in possession of all three of their sexual videos, per the contract, including the already-released Cabo tape, an unreleased Santa Barbara tape and an unreleased intro to the Cabo activities. What he did apparently have and what Kanye West got from him during their reported hand-off was a device with old intimate photos and “mini-videos.”
As far as the ex-lover tells it, Ye sat down on the floor during their LAX terminal meeting to look at the content first before taking it. The One on One alum also added that he neither asked for nor accepted any money for what he had, despite the "Eazy" performer's claims on The Kardashians that implied they were all done with being “exhorted.” He continued about their “father to father” exchange:
I was proving to him, I've never been the enemy. I've never been the person who they say I am. If that was the case, why are you guys trying to brainstorm, come up with ideas with me and make me do what you guys say do. You want me to continue to act the bad guy and you guys have brainwashed me into thinking that's OK.
In addition, Ray J recalled that he has not only been financially affected by being cast as the leak behind the sex tape footage – reportedly losing out on gigs like Dancing With The Stars and America’s Got Talent – but emotionally and socially as well. He even claims to have been “suicidal” at one point because of the ordeal. The 41-year-old was frank, though, that he doesn’t want compensation or even an apology from the famous family. What he does want is his version of the story finally out there:
I just want my daughter and my son to appreciate what I've done here on Earth and know that their dad doesn't go for exploiting women, disrespecting women and leaking footage of someone who didn't give permission. This has been a burden for me. It's been an embarrassment for me. My family have questioned my integrity, who I am as a person.
The Kardashian-Jenners have been accused a number of times in the past of putting out only a controlled, tiny piece of their actual selves and lives, especially concerning what is recycled and evidently photoshopped onto their social media profiles. But Ray J seems to believe it goes much deeper than perhaps what anyone guessed. Going forward, the father of two said, “I'm going to live in my truth and not in the lie that's been created by Kris Jenner and Kim. I will not let them do this to me anymore.”
We'll have to wait and see if there are any further chapters in this sex tape saga. In the meantime, new episodes of The Kardashians stream every Thursday and can be checked out using a Hulu subscription.
