New accuser says NBC tried to kill her abuse claims — and MSNBC's Joy Reid knew all about it

Journalist and activist Sil Lai Abrams said Monday that NBC News silenced her claims of sexual misconduct against "Extra" host A.J. Calloway, according to a Daily Beast article.

Abrams, who publicly accused music mogul Russell Simmons of rape, has come out swinging against NBC News following the release of journalist Ronan Farrow's new book, "Catch and Kill."

In his book, Farrow detailed NBC's alleged behaviors in covering up stories of sexual harassment and reports of the network turning a blind eye to its personalities engaging in sexual misconduct.

What is Abrams saying?

In a Daily Beast article published Monday, Abrams wrote that NBC killed a 2017 story on her alleged experience with Calloway.

She also claimed that the network — which was set to air her story on MSNBC's "AM Joy" with host Joy Reid — made her provide overly painstaking detail in order to corroborate her accusations. The interview was slated to accompany a "lengthy print piece written by Joy for New York magazine," Abrams added.

"When I approached Joy, I had no idea that NBC had a reputation for not breaking news stories about men accused of sexual assault," Abrams wrote. "Therefore, I had no reason to believe my story would be derailed by the network."

The process, however, reportedly became so frustrating and arduous that Reid purportedly told Abrams to take the allegations against Calloway elsewhere.

"I was told the TV portion was scheduled to air on Jan. 13, 2018, but I received an email the day before from Joy asking me to reach out to her," Abrams continued. "When we spoke a few hours later, she informed me that Russell Simmons' attorney had gone ballistic and NBC was not going to air the segment, and the New York magazine story was also on hold since they were paired."

She said that she wound up taking her story elsewhere.

"Just like that, NBC threw Joy and me under the bus," Abrams explains. "It killed her story and — at least temporarily — silenced me."

Abrams added, "I asked Joy repeatedly if NBC was going to do to her what it did to Ronan, and she said she didn't think so. We both agreed that it would reflect very poorly if word got out that the network had suppressed yet another story of alleged sexual assault."

The Hollywood Reporter published Abrams' accusations in a June 2018 article.

What else?

NBC Universal did not comment on the story, Abrams' article added. Also, a spokesperson for New York magazine had said that the publication did not run the accompanying article because Reid had withdrawn it.

"Given what has been exposed thus far by Farrow and others, it's clear that NBC thinks it can spin their way out of this, again," she added. "What it fails to recognize is that this is a much bigger issue than their cover-ups, payoffs, and excuses. The media is supposed to be a watchdog for abuses of power. Reporting on the behavior of alleged serial predators is more than news. It's an act of social good."

Abrams pointed out that after The Hollywood Reporter published her detailed accusations, Simmons and Calloway suffered consequences.

"After The Hollywood Reporter ran my story, Simmons sold all his U.S. properties and moved to Bali, a country without an extradition treaty with our country," she said. "Warner Media severed ties with Calloway, who is no longer employed by 'Extra.' He is also currently under investigation for rape in two states."

Abrams concluded by claiming that "NBC put women's lives at risk" by not being forthcoming with stories like hers.

"[W]hat is lost in this endless discussion about who knew what and when is a grave truth: NBC put women's lives at risk," she wrote. "This is one of the darkest of NBC's sins. By refusing to stand by their hard-working reporters' work, it knowingly placed members of the public in harm's way. ... The bottom line is this: It kept dangerous men from being held accountable."

Both Simmons and Calloway have denied Abrams' allegations.

You can read more about the growing scandal with NBC News here.