Ellen DeGeneres is bravely opening up to David Letterman about a traumatic incident from her teenage years on an upcoming episode of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman.
The longtime daytime talk show host recalls the “very bad man” that her mother Betty DeGeneres married when Ellen was an adolescent, who she says took advantage of her after her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and had one of her breasts removed.
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The comedienne candidly shared the details of her story with the former Late Show with David Letterman host:
“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. He convinced me that he needs to feel my breasts and then he tries to do it again another time, and then another time… He tries to break my door down, and I kicked the window out and ran ’cause I knew it was going to go more to something. And I didn’t want to tell my mother because I was protecting her and I knew that would ruin her happiness.”
Ellen admits that she was initially mad at herself for not standing up to him, and reveals why she was willing to share her story now:
“I’m angry at myself because, you know, I didn’t — I was too weak to stand up to — I was 15 or 16. It’s a really horrible, horrible story and the only reason I’m actually going to go into detail about it is because I want other girls to not ever let someone do that.”
The 61-year-old hopes that her story inspires other victims of sexual assault to share their stories without fear:
“We [women] just don’t feel like we’re worthy, or we’re scared to have a voice, and we’re scared to say no. That’s the only reason I think it’s important to talk about it because there’s so many young girls and it doesn’t matter how old you are. When I see people speaking out, especially now, it angers me when victims aren’t believed, because we just don’t make stuff up. And I like men, but there are so many men that get away with so much.”
The TV host concluded, proclaiming:
“It is just time for us to have a voice. It’s time for us to have power.”
Season two of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman premieres Friday, May 31 on Netflix, which includes more from Miz DeGeneres on what dating boys in high school was like, her legendary coming out announcement, and her marriage to Portia de Rossi.
Thank you for sharing your story with us all, Ellen.
[Image via B. Roth/WENN for Tine Publicity.]
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