Earlier this week, we reported on Ellen Degeneres and her upcoming appearance on the popular David Letterman Netflix show My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. The talk show host opened up about the experiences she had with her stepfather who sexually assaulted her when she was only 15 years old. As she explains, Ellen's mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to get surgery on one of them. Her stepfather then used this as an excuse to touch her.
“He told me when she was out of town that he’d felt a lump in her breast and needed to feel my breasts because he didn’t want to upset her, but he needed to feel mine,” she explained on the show, ETC details. “Again, ’cause I didn’t know about bodies, I don’t know that breasts are all different and… Anyway, he convinced me that he needs to feel my breasts and then he tries to do it again another time, and then another time.”
Ellen's mom Betty recently issued a statement to NBC's Today Show, where she urged parents to listen to their kids when they open up about their traumatic experiences.
"I know now that one of the hardest things to do is to speak up after being sexually abused," Betty explained. "I love my daughter, and I wish I had the capacity to listen to her when she told me what happened. I live with that regret, and I wouldn’t want that for any other parent. If someone in your life has the courage to speak out, please believe them.”
After Ellen's recent admission, perhaps we will see other celebrities speak up about these horrible, life-altering events.