Amber Rose Says 21 Women Told Her That Ian Connor Raped Them

Amber Rose says 21 women have come forward to tell her that Ian Connor raped them.

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While Kanye West has stayed silent on the rape allegations against stylist Ian Connor, Amber Rose is speaking up. In wide-ranging interview with The Daily Beast published Thursday, Rose said 21 women have come to her to say they were raped by Connor.

In recent months, seven women have formally come forward with rape allegations against Connor, but Rose says that the number of accusers is much higher. Asked about the misogyny that plagues much of the hip-hop world and specifically about allegations of rape and sexual assault against Connor, Rose told The Daily Beast:

Because I have my SlutWalk, all of the women [who’ve accused Ian Connor] have reached out to me as well. They want to come to my SlutWalk and tell their story on my stage. I have that platform for them to do so. I’m not a lawyer. I can’t prosecute anyone or say, “What she’s saying is exactly the truth.” I wasn’t there. Honestly, seven came out and I’m pretty sure 21 women have reached out to me so far. So I’m assuming there are more [stories] coming out. It’s innocent until proven guilty, but when you have 21 women from all over the world that do not know each other but have similar stories, it gets to the point where it’s like… enough.

Accusations against Connor began when Emory University student Malika Anderson wrote a blog post alleging Connor had raped her in 2014. Six other women made similar claims subsequently. 

Rose also addressed her former relationship with Kanye West in light of the rapper's recent and highly controversial video for his song "Famous." Along with other celebrities including Taylor Swift, who is a friend of Rose, Rose's nude likeness appeared in the video. Rose discussed the double standard applied to men and women when they become famous:

The misconception, and I still hear this seven years later, to this day, is, “You’re only famous for Kanye.” Initially, absolutely. In 2009, when they’re like, “Amber Rose, Kanye’s girlfriend,” I was like, “OK, that’s pretty accurate. That’s what it is.” But I didn’t ask to be famous, and I didn’t even talk or do interviews for two years, because I thought, “I don’t want this. I’m not famous.” Over time, with going out in public, I realized it would never go away, so I didn’t have any choice but to progress. Everything I’ve done since then is my own doing, and I’ve worked my fucking ass off for everything I have. But Wendy Williams put Charlamagne on. Jay Z put Kanye on! But they don’t do that to men, and they always want to diminish my accomplishments and put them on someone else when I work really hard.

A representative for Amber Rose did not immediately reply to Complex's request for comment.

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