Joe Budden: “I Never Hit Esther Baxter”

In the latest chapter of the Joe Budden-Esther Baxter breakup saga, Budden has taken to the airwaves to deny allegations that he physically abused the former video vixen.

As XXLMag.com previously reported, Baxter came forward in an interview with Bossip.com and claimed the Slaughterhouse rapper beat her during their relationship and caused her to have a miscarriage.

Last night, Budden told Funkmaster Flex on Hot 97 that Baxter’s story is completely false. “If the subject matter were true at all, then I’d have been sitting there like anybody else saying ‘Jesus, this guy’s a monster, this guy’s the devil here on earth,’" he said. “But nah, it’ s a bunch of lies. Lies, lies, lies, lies, lies. For the record, just so we’re totally clear, I never hit Esther. Never, ever, ever, ever.”

Bossip also obtained photos depicting the alleged abuse, which Budden said were fabricated.  “These are photos that she had texted me at some point or another,” Budden said. “When she was sending them to me I was like ‘Oh, this is a bunch of nonsense. Like these are altered. There’s something not adding up with these photos.’ Like I said, common sense cures a lot of this. I’m a man, right. Even if I didn’t have any strength at all, if I woulda beat you, you’d be in the ER. Something would be broke, something would be hurt. It’d be a little more than your little makeup that you’re putting on your stomach and your neck and taking pictures of it. It’d be a little more than that.”

Budden also said the court document that recorded the alleged abuse is based on lies. “They put a picture up there of these court documents, and the court documents make me out to sound like a monster,” Budden said. “But all it is, is her going to the precinct saying ‘I want to file this, this is what happened,’ they write it down, and that’s it. Whatever she says goes on the paper. It doesn’t really say too much. She was in the courtroom with me holding hands dropping the charges.”

Budden said it’s common sense that if he actually did beat Baxter, she wouldn’t have gotten back together with him after the supposed brawl. “You don’t do all the things that she says that I did and then come right back to the same man,” he said.

Budden mocked Baxter’s sit-down with Bossip, calling it a “Barbara Walter-ish interview with the dramatic ‘Full House’ theme music in the background” and dubbing Baxter a “good actress,” but said the topic of domestic abuse is no laughing matter.

“Like I said, that subject matter’s very serious,” he said. “It’s not anything to joke around about.” —Lauren Carter