Smokey Robinson accused of sexual assault by ex-housekeepers

[midnightman]

I recall Gladys Horton going off on Smokey Robinson at the end of her post humous published autobiography. So she certainly had no admiration for him as a person.

I also recall seeing some sort of Motown 60 related documentary or new piece in which Berry and Smokey were filmed at Hitsville/Motown Museum reminiscing in the Studio and half the time their conversation drifted into the women they bedded and how they always competed to bed a woman first. It was an icky conversation to hear. That doesn't mean charges are true regarding Robinson, but there's that mentality he has.

Anyone know if Smokey's Soul town is still on Serius XM or has he been given the boot and back to plain old Soultown?

This right here is just so very ICKY. IIRC in one of the Motown books, it was claimed that one reason Berry and Smokey decided on forming Motown was to get the attention of ladies. I mean Raynoma did claim Berry tried his hand at p*mping [[and was very terrible at it, it looks). I wouldn't put it past Smokey to think he thought that was cool. I mean it WAS Detroit.

But yeah, Gladys HATED Smoke until the very end. I imagine the Marvelettes weren't really worshipping the ground he walked on like the other Motown female artists [[besides Mary Wells, I don't know if Smoke ever tried it with her). I mean the way he just basically told Gladys "we don't need you singing lead on these songs, Wanda can sing these better" was a slap in the face [[and not taking anything away from Wanda, but the way he did that to Gladys was deplorable, she had every right to say what she said).

[midnightman]

Look I don't know the validity of the claims against Smokey but this is a disgusting comment to make. There is no "let" in rape. Thats why it is rape. Its done against someone's will. Rape is rape by its very nature no matter if it occurs once or one hundred times and to claim it is consensual just because it could have happened multiple times is sickening.

Thank you so much for addressing this to him. I'm shocked at Bayou's posts... I get that he hates that Smokey is facing these accusations but there was a way of defending dude without being disgusting about it.

[midnightman]

Where did you read this midnight?

It was on one of the articles. Forget which.

[motony]

Gladys did not hate Smokey. Gladys & Smokey had a falling out because she told Claudette , who was her friend, something that caused a problem between Smokey & Claudette. Mary Wells was friends with Claudette & Smokey knew that.The other day on Smokeys Soul Town & they played "Too Many Fish In the Sea" Smokey raved about Gladys Hortons talents, not only on record but LIVE on-stage. I was really happy to hear that.

[jobeterob]

I’m not so sure he is still on the channel.

I listened for 45 minutes tonight and they had the ad for how to email and phone and it was him although I’m sure it was recorded. But it was just song after song after song with no commentary and I’m not sure it’s ever been like that before.

It is still called Smokey’s Soultown

I don’t think they can keep him on in these circumstances - but it’s going to take time to make changes

[jobeterob]

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/10/a...n-concert.html

[midnightman]

By the way I noticed that his new album was released on Gaither Music Group, I assume it's a gospel-ish record [[and his first since 2004?) and they removed the link to the album. Interesting.

[Sotosound]

This is all so sad for anyone who grew up with Smokey.

[reese]

By the way I noticed that his new album was released on Gaither Music Group, I assume it's a gospel-ish record [[and his first since 2004?) and they removed the link to the album. Interesting.

It was released a few weeks ago. Indeed, it is a collection of inspirational songs. Just a few weeks ago he was on various tv shows promoting it. So sad how quickly circumstances have changed.

[motony]

It was released a few weeks ago. Indeed, it is a collection of inspirational songs. Just a few weeks ago he was on various tv shows promoting it. So sad how quickly circumstances have changed.

and that LP & all those TV appearances MIGHT be the reason why this BS started.Very interesting.

[jobeterob]

I had another 45 minute road trip with Soultown and again, a lot of music, commentary was basic and mostly a recording from the lady - and very little from Smokey

[midnightman]

and that LP & all those TV appearances MIGHT be the reason why this BS started.Very interesting.

Might be. Which would be very despicable if these allegations are true…

[TheMotownManiac]

I am feeling this is so God bloody awful; I’m so disappointed, much more so than with Michael Jackson because Michael seemed so off course. But Smokey comes off so sincere and so charming.

It’s very difficult not to believe there’s some basic truth when there are multiple people .
providing similar stories.

So disappointing

I hope it’s not true also, but will never know. That’s the awful thing about these things. And smokey can be kind and charming and wonderful. But he also can be very arrogant and elitist. I’ve witnessed him being rude and bitchy. We all have our good sides in our bad sides. I can see him doing this. He’s never been able to keep it zipped, But I hope nothing comes out of it if he’s innocent.

[Boogiedown]

When a man in his eighties releases an album called GASMS with a theme around sex ....its kind of a red flag that something is out of whack ...

[midnightman]

When a man in his eighties releases an album called GASMS with a theme around sex ....its kind of a red flag that something is out of whack ...

Oh you can bet he regrets releasing that album now!!!

[milven]

Saturday Night Weekend Update reported about Smokey's situation on last nights broadcast. They reported how Smokey planned to beat the charges.

Dark humor, but it made me laugh

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/LjAp0dLS_lY

[sansradio]

Saturday Night Weekend Update reported about Smokey's situation on last nights broadcast. They reported how Smokey planned to beat the charges.

Dark humor, but it made me laugh

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/LjAp0dLS_lY

Ouuuuuuuuch! 😃

[Cincinnati_Kid]

I am also suspicious of this whole story. When a woman has been assaulted even once, her natural instinct should kick in and she should run as far away as she can from the situation and/or go straight to the police. The last thing she should do is go right back and say "here I am if you want to do it again." So for any of them to put up with it 20 or more times just doesn't sound logical.

You'd be very surprised by how many people aren't logical. As others have suggested, this sounds like a set-up to me.

[BayouMotownMan]

Thank you so much for addressing this to him. I'm shocked at Bayou's posts... I get that he hates that Smokey is facing these accusations but there was a way of defending dude without being disgusting about it.

I was not intending to minimize any type of rape and do not appreciate the accusation.

Regardless of what kind of rape, or what title you wish to give it, I am suspicious of their accusations because:

1. It doesn't take 20+ instances to realize one is being raped. These were not underage women from what I can tell

2. Most importantly, if the victims truly wanted justice they would have gone to authorities FIRST...not to an attorney and ask for $50 million. Please keep in mind, in these and all such cases, the attorney will get the bulk of the settlement and will therefore egg on the charges for the sake of a buck. Police would have done a thorough investigation without the expectation of getting a monetary windfall.

3. At this time in Smokey's life, well into his 80s, unless he has found some type of juice that kept him as physically strong as he was 40 years ago, I just can't believe that they couldn't get away from him.

I will maintain that if they had gone to police, and an arrest had been made, THEN gone to an attorney seeking damages I would been more willing to believe all this. These are just my opinions based on the rather limited amount of information being released. Also keep in mind, releasing this to the press appears to be the sole intention of making Smokey want to settle up.

These are just my opinion of this ONE case.

[motony]

I agree with BayouMotownMan 100%.

[vgalindo]

I was not intending to minimize any type of rape and do not appreciate the accusation.

Regardless of what kind of rape, or what title you wish to give it, I am suspicious of their accusations because:

1. It doesn't take 20+ instances to realize one is being raped. These were not underage women from what I can tell

2. Most importantly, if the victims truly wanted justice they would have gone to authorities FIRST...not to an attorney and ask for $50 million. Please keep in mind, in these and all such cases, the attorney will get the bulk of the settlement and will therefore egg on the charges for the sake of a buck. Police would have done a thorough investigation without the expectation of getting a monetary windfall.

3. At this time in Smokey's life, well into his 80s, unless he has found some type of juice that kept him as physically strong as he was 40 years ago, I just can't believe that they couldn't get away from him.

I will maintain that if they had gone to police, and an arrest had been made, THEN gone to an attorney seeking damages I would been more willing to believe all this. These are just my opinions based on the rather limited amount of information being released. Also keep in mind, releasing this to the press appears to be the sole intention of making Smokey want to settle up.

These are just my opinion of this ONE case.

I totally agree with you.

[midnightman]

Saturday Night Weekend Update reported about Smokey's situation on last nights broadcast. They reported how Smokey planned to beat the charges.

Dark humor, but it made me laugh

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/LjAp0dLS_lY

LMFAO!!! I wasn’t expecting that OMG XD

[Motown Eddie]

I was not intending to minimize any type of rape and do not appreciate the accusation.

Regardless of what kind of rape, or what title you wish to give it, I am suspicious of their accusations because:

1. It doesn't take 20+ instances to realize one is being raped. These were not underage women from what I can tell

2. Most importantly, if the victims truly wanted justice they would have gone to authorities FIRST...not to an attorney and ask for $50 million. Please keep in mind, in these and all such cases, the attorney will get the bulk of the settlement and will therefore egg on the charges for the sake of a buck. Police would have done a thorough investigation without the expectation of getting a monetary windfall.

3. At this time in Smokey's life, well into his 80s, unless he has found some type of juice that kept him as physically strong as he was 40 years ago, I just can't believe that they couldn't get away from him.

I will maintain that if they had gone to police, and an arrest had been made, THEN gone to an attorney seeking damages I would been more willing to believe all this. These are just my opinions based on the rather limited amount of information being released. Also keep in mind, releasing this to the press appears to be the sole intention of making Smokey want to settle up.

These are just my opinion of this ONE case.

I Agree with BayouMotownMan on this!

[jobeterob]

Had a brief time listening to Soultown. Again, song after song, next to know commentary and if there was any, it was an ad

[midnightman]

I was not intending to minimize any type of rape and do not appreciate the accusation.

Regardless of what kind of rape, or what title you wish to give it, I am suspicious of their accusations because:

1. It doesn't take 20+ instances to realize one is being raped. These were not underage women from what I can tell

2. Most importantly, if the victims truly wanted justice they would have gone to authorities FIRST...not to an attorney and ask for $50 million. Please keep in mind, in these and all such cases, the attorney will get the bulk of the settlement and will therefore egg on the charges for the sake of a buck. Police would have done a thorough investigation without the expectation of getting a monetary windfall.

3. At this time in Smokey's life, well into his 80s, unless he has found some type of juice that kept him as physically strong as he was 40 years ago, I just can't believe that they couldn't get away from him.

I will maintain that if they had gone to police, and an arrest had been made, THEN gone to an attorney seeking damages I would been more willing to believe all this. These are just my opinions based on the rather limited amount of information being released. Also keep in mind, releasing this to the press appears to be the sole intention of making Smokey want to settle up.

These are just my opinion of this ONE case.

While I get all of that, that part of why didn't the authorities weren't reached, some who are allegedly abused don't report anything mainly because of peer pressure/threats from the offending party or parties. So a lot of them keep quiet and it's suspected these housekeepers were immigrants so that add to why they didn't immediately report it and, in some cases, kept quiet for 20+ years. We'll see what happens when more details come out in this lawsuit.

[jobeterob]

While I get all of that, that part of why didn't the authorities weren't reached, some who are allegedly abused don't report anything mainly because of peer pressure/threats from the offending party or parties. So a lot of them keep quiet and it's suspected these housekeepers were immigrants so that add to why they didn't immediately report it and, in some cases, kept quiet for 20+ years. We'll see what happens when more details come out in this lawsuit.

And while lawyers have a spotty reputation, a lot goes into getting this far in a law suit. It isn’t just pulled out of a hat and they won’t take it on if they think it’s a loser because they’ll get nothing.

Filipino immigrants vs Smokey Robinson - one can only imagine who they ever thought would listen to them

[BayouMotownMan]

And while lawyers have a spotty reputation, a lot goes into getting this far in a law suit. It isn’t just pulled out of a hat and they won’t take it on if they think it’s a loser because they’ll get nothing.Filipino immigrants vs Smokey Robinson - one can only imagine who they ever thought would listen to them

Rob, there are medical evaluations that can confirm whether a woman had been violated, and DNA taken to identify the perp. I would say that yes lawyers nowadays do have spotty reputations, and police departments are stretched to the max. But if three of these people all went to a police station with the same complaints the police would have to investigate.I still say because of his advanced years, it sounds like a shakedown to me. Not a doubt in my mind that a young lady, no matter how small, should be able to easily get away from a man in his 80s. If you see Smokey in concert it is easy to see how arthritic he is, especially when he does his little Tom Jones-type wiggle to try to impress the ladies. It's actually sad to watch this.It is also within the realm of possibilities that these ladies did have consensual sex with Robinson and decided they wanted more money than what was offered them not to expose him. Again I am always skeptical when a victim goes to a lawyer or the media without going to law enforcement over such charges to start with. You skipped an important step here. If they are scared of law enforcement because they are here illegally it will be worse if they go before a judge for the same issue

[jobeterob]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna207128

Now there’s a criminal investigation

[BayouMotownMan]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna207128

Now there’s a criminal investigation

Well now that's a different story. Keep in mind the criminal investigation is coming AFTER the lawsuit, and it is mandatory if going in front of a judge that enough evidence was found to charge Robinson with these rapes. So let's see what the investigation finds out.

Smokey, through his lawyer, seems confident he will be vindicated and it will show that this is what I think it is, a shake down.

[jobeterob]

Well now that's a different story. Keep in mind the criminal investigation is coming AFTER the lawsuit, and it is mandatory if going in front of a judge that enough evidence was found to charge Robinson with these rapes. So let's see what the investigation finds out.

Smokey, through his lawyer, seems confident he will be vindicated and it will show that this is what I think it is, a shake down.

I’ll bet $20 it’s not a shakedown, lol. I think it was Smokey doing the jerk!

[Roberta75]

Smokey, through his lawyer, seems confident he will be vindicated and it will show that this is what I think it is, a shake down.

Thats a very attorney relaesed statement and one every attorney should tell there client to say. P-Diddys attorney made a very similar statement. If an attorney tells you to plead guilty get rid of them as they dont have your best interest at heart. The truth will come out in court.

[YourOldStandBy]

I'm pretty devastated to have found out about this. I have no idea what to think, but if it happened I hope those women get justice. At the end of the day, women in their position are very vulnerable, can easily be victims of coercion and intimidation, so it is absolutely not unthinkable that they might continue working for someone who has sexually assaulted them. I'm still extremely upset as I'll Try Something New is my favourite song by a male vocalist, and Smokey has written so many of my all time favourite songs, including my all time favourite, My Guy. I just hope Mary Well's hits aren't a casualty of this, because despite Smokey writing them, her legacy shouldn't be tarnished because of something he did almost twenty years after she died at the earliest.

Unfortunately though, there is a pretty widespread mindset that if you separate art from artist for a figure who is in any way problematic, you are a bad person, particularly in my generation [[Millennials) and younger [[Gen Z).

On a side note...gasms is an extremely repulsive word, somehow. Why would you even think that's a good title for an album? Might as well make on of the tracks be a reading of one of James Joyce's letters to Nora while you are at it.

[BayouMotownMan]

Well I am going to do what people have stopped doing years ago. I will let the investigation find out what really happened. The media in this country have become so powerful and so sensational in reporting this kind of thing. We all have forgotten that a person is INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY.

[midnightman]

And while lawyers have a spotty reputation, a lot goes into getting this far in a law suit. It isn’t just pulled out of a hat and they won’t take it on if they think it’s a loser because they’ll get nothing.

Filipino immigrants vs Smokey Robinson - one can only imagine who they ever thought would listen to them

Right. No one just decides to file a suit out of the blue lol this was in development for a while.

[jobeterob]

These things definitely take time.

Usually, something happened - but there’s no consensus on what and who consented to what. A few comments and passes get made and nothing much happens - so it may be taken as a sign of some consent.

There’s terribly unequal power at play. There’s the multimillionaire who wrote My Girl and whose wife requires the staff to “toe the line”. The staff have little money, are Hispanic, likely have poor English, poor education and questionable immigration status - they feel like second class people who aren’t paid much attention to.

When these little things happen, you wouldn’t dream of saying anything to anyone.

The little things become bigger and bigger over a period of time - perhaps years - and they never say anything out of fear.

Over years, they feel complicit and guilty but one day they mumble something to a co-worker. And over a period of time they realize something similar might have happened but it takes a very long time. One says to the other - well he had all those singing girls falling all over him! Even that one who’s still on tv wearing all those feathers and diamonds and hair.

And away it eventually goes over years

This doesn’t need to be a grab her at the door, pin her and we won’t go further with words. The point is there was no real consent.

That is a scenario - played out again and again in this world

But we will see.

I suspect there will never be any trial of any nature - Smokey is too old, this has been too damaging. If that scenario above occurred, or a version of it, we won’t hear much.

This is not 1964 or even 1990 - things have changed a lot.

He is not doing any commentary on Soultown anymore

[sansradio]

These things definitely take time.

Usually, something happened - but there’s no consensus on what and who consented to what. A few comments and passes get made and nothing much happens - so it may be taken as a sign of some consent.

There’s terribly unequal power at play. There’s the multimillionaire who wrote My Girl and whose wife requires the staff to “toe the line”. The staff have little money, are Hispanic, likely have poor English, poor education and questionable immigration status - they feel like second class people who aren’t paid much attention to.

When these little things happen, you wouldn’t dream of saying anything to anyone.

The little things become bigger and bigger over a period of time - perhaps years - and they never say anything out of fear.

Over years, they feel complicit and guilty but one day they mumble something to a co-worker. And over a period of time they realize something similar might have happened but it takes a very long time. One says to the other - well he had all those singing girls falling all over him! Even that one who’s still on tv wearing all those feathers and diamonds and hair.

And away it eventually goes over years

This doesn’t need to be a grab her at the door, pin her and we won’t go further with words. The point is there was no real consent.

That is a scenario - played out again and again in this world

But we will see.

I suspect there will never be any trial of any nature - Smokey is too old, this has been too damaging. If that scenario above occurred, or a version of it, we won’t hear much.

This is not 1964 or even 1990 - things have changed a lot.

He is not doing any commentary on Soultown anymore

Not that it matters in the long run, but earlier, you posted that the women were Filipina. Here, you say they're "Hispanic." Filipinos aren't considered Hispanic, but Asian. Which is it?

[jobeterob]

Not that it matters in the long run, but earlier, you posted that the women were Filipina. Here, you say they're "Hispanic." Filipinos aren't considered Hispanic, but Asian. Which is it?

They’ve been identified as all Hispanic and it doesn’t matter and I know I’ve kind of improperly categorized and stereotyped them - but they’ve made serious allegations.

The world’s a bitch of a place now and my gut feels a lot of empathy for them but for now, it also feels the littlest bit for Smokey

But I’m Canadian and that’s us

[sansradio]

^Not only that, but immediately after gratuitously introducing immigration status and nationality into the conversation, you said, “one can only imagine who ever thought they would listen to them,” which is nasty work.

[YourOldStandBy]

Regardless of whether they are Hispanic or Filipina, everything that joeterob said would apply to either: "The staff have little money, likely have poor English, likely poor education and likely questionable immigration status - they feel like second class people who aren’t paid much attention to". I remember reading that the women were already being paid below minimum wage for their cleaning jobs, so if that was the case that reinforces the idea that they were being taken advantage of for all the reasons joeterob was saying.

But yes, to clarify what sansradio was asking, everything I have read about the subject has said that the women were Filipina, not Hispanic.