“Was She Justified?” Djimon Hounsou’s Ex Speaks Out as Assault Allegations Rock Hollywood
Before the police reports, before the arrest, and before the headlines, Riza Simpson says there is another side to this story.
In audio she has now released, Simpson can be heard calmly asking for her house keys back and telling actor Djimon Hounsou, 62, that he does not have the legal right to force her out of what she describes as their shared home. She insists she was trying to leave peacefully and avoid conflict when things suddenly escalated.
“I’m not trying to fight,” Simpson, 34, says in the clip. “I just want my keys.” Under Georgia law, each individual has the right to self defense, including defending yourself against individuals forcing you to move – when you are not legally obligated to.
The audio, which Simpson says was recorded shortly before her arrest, paints a very different picture than the one presented in police reports. She claims that Hounsou demanded she leave their Atlanta townhouse while she was preparing to travel to Miami to cool off from the tension in their relationship. Despite separating nearly two years ago, Simpson says they were still living together at the time.
She also claims that Hounsou took her keys and refused to return them, effectively locking her out. In the recording, she repeatedly explains that she will call the police if he does not give them back, and her tone remains measured and controlled.
But the police report tells a much different story.
According to an Atlanta Police Department incident report obtained by the Daily Mail, Hounsou told officers that Simpson punched him in the face with a closed fist on December 2, 2025, after he asked her to move out.
The two share two children, who Hounsou said were inside the home at the time. He told police they were upstairs and did not see the alleged altercation, but may have heard it.
On January 16, officers returned to the home with an arrest warrant for Simpson. She was taken into custody and charged with misdemeanor simple assault (domestic violence) and obstruction for allegedly giving false information to police.
Police claim they saw Simpson inside the home when they arrived, even though she told them she was driving to meet them. According to the report, when officers said they would enter the home, she opened the door. Officers also noted that children were present and that they heard crying in the background.
Now the public is left with two very different versions of what happened.
One says violence.
The other says intimidation and fear.
And under Georgia law she may have been justified in punching him, if he unlawfully touched her first.
Simpson has not been convicted of any crime, and all charges remain allegations. No court has yet ruled on what truly happened that night.
With audio now circulating and emotions running high, many are asking the same question:
Was this a case of domestic violence — or a situation that spiraled out of control?
Media Take Out will continue to follow this case as it develops.