Ellen DeGeneres previously revealed that she was sexually abused by her mom Betty DeGeneres’ ex-husband.
During her interview with David Letterman on the Netflix show My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, Ellen DeGeneres detailed the abuse that she experienced under the hands of her stepfather.
The Ellen Show host also said that she told her mom about the incident. However, Betty didn’t believe her.
Betty DeGeneres reveals one of her regrets
After DeGeneres’ interview aired on Netflix, Betty released a statement to NBC News through her daughter.
“I know now that one of the hardest things to do is speak up after being sexually abused. I love my daughter, and I wish I had the capacity to listen to her when she told me what happened. And 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,” Betty said.
Ellen DeGeneres was sexually abused by her stepfather
Portia de Rossi’s wife first talked about her abuse during her interview with Savannah Guthrie on Today. However, DeGeneres refused to detail the incident back then.
It was in Letterman’s documentary that the funny woman broke her silence about the heartbreaking incident.
DeGeneres said that her stepdad used her mom’s breast cancer diagnosis as an excuse to grope her breasts. And since she was just a teenager back then, DeGeneres didn’t have the courage to stand up to her stepfather.
“That’s another thing where I’m angry at myself because, you know, I didn’t . . . I was too weak to stand up to him. I was 15 or 16,” she said.
DeGeneres also said that there was a time when her stepfather tried to break down her door so he could abuse her. But DeGeneres managed to kick the window and run away. She knew that if she didn’t escape, things could only get worse.
Ellen DeGeneres, Betty DeGeneres relationship
Today, DeGeneres and Betty seem to have a wonderful relationship with each other. The comedian said that things weren’t always easy between them.
When DeGeneres first told her mom about her stepdad’s abuse, Betty chose to believe her ex-husband.
“He said I was lying, and then she stayed with him. I should never have protected her. I should have protected myself and I didn’t tell her for a few years and then I told her. And then she didn’t believe me, and then she stayed with him for 18 more years. And finally left him because he’d changed the story so many times,” DeGeneres said.
Ellen DeGeneres also said that her mom has been apologetic for not believing her.
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