Ellen DeGeneres opens up about being sexually assaulted, aged 15
Comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has opened up about being sexually assaulted when she was aged 15.
DeGeneres was speaking to actor Busy Philipps, who recently revealed on Instagram that she was raped aged 14, on The Ellen DeGeneres Show aboutĀ the star’s new book This Will Only Hurt A Little.
Phillipps shared her story on sexual violence after she was inspired by Christine Blasey Ford, a professor of psychology who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault.
In an extraordinary hearing on September 27, Kavanaugh vehemently denied an emotional testimony from Ford whoĀ alleged that theĀ judge sexually assaulted her when they were bothĀ in high school. Two other women have accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct.
The US Senate is now set to vote on whether Kavanaugh should be given the Supreme Court role,Ā following a five-day FBI investigationĀ into the allegations.
“I was so moved by her bravery,” Phillips toldĀ DeGeneres, referring to Ford’s testimony.
DeGeneres shared her story of sexual assault. (Kevin Winter/Getty)
“It wasnāt something that I ever felt I was ever going to blast out on social media, but when I saw her standing there speaking her truth after 30 years, I was like, āItās been 25 years for me, and I can do this,'” she added.
DeGeneres, whoĀ first spoke aboutĀ being molested as a teenager in an interview 2005 and then joined the #MeToo movement on her show in OctoberĀ 2017, discussed with Philipps what the Kavanaugh hearings mean for sexual assault survivors.
“I was 15 and I had something happen to me,” DeGeneres said. “When I watched Dr. Fordāanyone who has had something happen to them, you just get so angry when someone doesnāt believe you or says, āWhy did you wait so long?ā
“Itās because weāre girls and weāre taught not to say anything and go along with it.”
She added: “So you at 14, me at 15, God knows how many people in this audience have had something happen.”
The comedian explained that she was sexually assaulted as a teenager. (Kevin Winter/Getty)
In an Instagram post on September 27, Phillips uploaded a photo of herself at school, writing: “This is me at 14. The age I was raped. It’s taken me 25 years to say those words. I wrote about it in my book.
“I finally told my parents and sister about it 4 months ago.
“Today is the day we are silent no more. All of us. I’m scared to post this.
“I can’t imagine what Dr. Ford is feeling right now,” she wrote.
Phillips and DeGeneres are among a number of celebritiesĀ who have shared their experiences of sexual assault in solidarity with Ford, afterĀ President Donald Trumpāwho mocked the professor’s testimony at a rally this weekāinsinuatedĀ in a tweet in September she should have reported the alleged incident to the authorities.
His tweet prompted thousandsĀ to shareĀ their stories of assault using #WhyIDidntReport. One of the high-profile figures using the hashtag wasĀ model Cara Delevingne,Ā who wroteĀ she didnāt report her sexual abuser as she ādidnāt want to publicly ruin someoneās life, even though they privately ruined mine.”
