It’s been an unbelievable 24 hours for fans of Smokey Robinson thanks to the shocking lawsuit that was lobbed against him on Tuesday. And now, folks online don’t know how to react.
As we previously told you, four women have accused the Motown legend of sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, gender violence and creating a hostile work environment. His wife, Frances, has also been named in the suit.
The women in particular are all allegedly former housekeepers of Robinson who claim that his wife had “full knowledge of his prior acts of sexual misconduct” but “failed to take the appropriate corrective action” to prevent “deviant misconduct” from Robinson. They’re seeking $5o million in damages.
As the news began to circulate online, people on social media were reeling at the accusations. (And if we’re honest so are we because he’s 85 and the bad behavior reportedly took place over a decade ago and it’s SMOKEY ROBINSON! Thee Smokey Robinson!) Naturally, the news had internet users shocked, appalled, confused and bewildered.
“This just might take Smokey Robinson up out of here. At 85 years old it’s a blessing if you can even control your bowels. RAPE ALLEGATIONS?! Bless,” wrote one user on X/Twitter.
“Lawd they accusing #SmokeyRobinson of Sexual Assault….” said another.
“This Smokey Robinson news is deeply troubling. I knew something was off when he titled his recent album, Gasms,” one other user said.
Added another, “Smokey Robinson really will have tears of a clown when he see’s the amount he’s being sued for.”
Over on Instagram, however, some folks were a bit skeptical.
“So your employer assaults you more than 20 times and you keep showing up at work? I be quitting after they deny my PTO,” one user said.
“Why did they wait until these men are old...that’s my question,” another person questioned.
One user made this observation: “Not to be insensitive but this is becoming a trend now. Every other month there are allegations of another prominent black entertainer. They can’t all be freak’d out as people are alleging.”