Ellen DeGeneres is one of the most famous talk show host of all times. The 61-year-old comedian is the host of hit day time TV show, Ellen DeGeneres show. In an interview with David Letterman Ellen talked about the sexual abuse she faced when she was a teenager.
Ellen DeGeneres on Facing Sexual Abuse
While talking to David Letterman, Ellen opened up about the sexual abuse experience she had when she was 15 or 16 years old. The event unfolded when her mother was diagnosed with cancer and was out of town.
Her stepfather approached her and said that he needed to look at her breast because he felt a lump in it. Confused at what her stepfather had asked her to do she hesitated but he managed to convince her.
After the first time, he tried several time again on different occasions to touch her stating the same thing. On one occasion he tried to break down the door to her room, but she managed to escape through the room window and ran to safety as fast as she could knowing if she stayed there something wrong might happen to her.
Speak Up About It
“Regardless of what the situation was, I should’ve told my mother instead of trying to protect her. I should have protected myself”, she said. “I kept it bottled up inside me for so long that when I finally told my mother, she had a hard time believing me.”
However, her mother eventually left her stepfather due to the continually changing narratives he presented over the years. Despite knowing about Ellen’s ordeal she continued to live with herstep father for 18 more years.
She further told that the reason she’ was opening up about her ordeal was to teach other young girls who had experienced sexual abuse to speak up and not fade into the dark or just let it slide as this was a very serious matter that needed to be talked about.
Give them the Benefit of the Doubt
People need to be patient and give such young victims benefit of the doubt. They deserve to be heard and should be allowed to express themselves. Ellen DeGeneres expressed that men getting away with it unharmed angered her.
Why should these young girls go through such a horrible ordeal and then face public ridicule when they muster the strength to tell it.
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