Recently, Ellen DeGeneres bravely shared a painful family secret, hoping that her honesty will help others who have faced similar struggles. She expressed her wish that she had been protected as a vulnerable young girl and admitted, “I am furious at people who don’t believe.”
Ellen, who was born in Louisiana, became a household name in the late 1970s. She faced many challenges but kept pushing forward. Her big break came in 1986 when she performed a hilarious stand-up routine on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
This performance opened the door to numerous late-night shows, comedy gigs, and roles on TV series, making her a star.
In a 1994 interview with The New York Times, Ellen shared her excitement about her work: “I was laughing out loud when I read the script. I knew what I could do with it. I wanted a show that everybody talks about the next day.” And talk they did! Ellen’s show became a hot topic, especially when she came out as a lesbian both on the show and in real life.
However, in 1998, Ellen’s show was canceled, leaving her heartbroken. But that same year, she found love with actress Anne Heche. Heche recalled their first meeting, saying, “I saw the most ravishing woman I had ever seen in my life standing across the room.
Her name was Ellen DeGeneres. She was radiating.” Unfortunately, their relationship ended in 2000, and shortly after, Heche revealed some dark secrets from her past.
In a 2001 interview with Barbara Walters, Heche bravely shared that she had been sexually abused by her father starting when she was just a toddler. “He raped me,” she said, a statement that shocked many. Tragically, Heche passed away in August 2022 after a terrible car crash, leaving behind a legacy of courage.
Heche’s story is not unique. Ellen also faced trauma and the painful doubts that come with it. In a 2018 interview with Savannah Guthrie on Today, she expressed her anger towards those who doubt victims of sexual abuse.
“As a victim of sexual abuse, I am furious at people who don’t believe it and who say, ‘How do you not remember exactly what day it was?’” Ellen explained. “You don’t remember those things. What you remember is what happened to you, where you were, and how you feel.”
Ellen has spoken about her own experience of abuse before, particularly during an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
In a heartfelt moment with actress Busy Phillips, who revealed she was sexually assaulted at age 14, Ellen shared, “I was 15 and I had something happen to me… anyone who has had something happen to them, you just get so angry when someone doesn’t believe you or says, ‘Why did you wait so long?’” She emphasized, “It’s because we’re girls and we’re taught not to say anything and go along with it.”
Years later, Ellen opened up more about her past during an interview with David Letterman on his Netflix show, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. She revealed that the abuse began when she was about 15 or 16 years old, during a difficult time when her mother was battling breast cancer.
Ellen tearfully recounted how her former stepfather manipulated 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.” This horrifying manipulation led to repeated assaults, leaving Ellen feeling trapped and confused.
For years, Ellen kept this secret from her mother. When she finally found the courage to tell her, her mother didn’t believe her. Ellen reflected on this painful experience, saying, “I should never have protected her. I should have protected myself.” Her mother stayed married to her stepfather for 18 more years, only leaving him after he changed his story multiple times.
Ellen continues to care for her mother, but she often thinks about the past. “I wish I would have been better taken care of. I wish she would have believed me,” she shared, acknowledging her mother’s eventual apology but recognizing the lasting impact of her trauma.
Ellen DeGeneres’s story, along with others who have bravely spoken out, serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of believing and supporting survivors of abuse. By sharing their experiences, they inspire those who are still silent to find their voices.
What do you think about Ellen’s story? Please share your thoughts, and let’s continue the conversation about this important and often taboo topic!
