Ellen DeGeneres recently revealed she was sexually assaulted by her late stepfather as a teen during a recent interview with David Letterman. Now her mother is speaking out.
» RELATED: Ellen DeGeneres reveals she was sexually assaulted by stepfather as a teen
On Friday, the comedian’s mom, Betty DeGeneres, 89, commended her daughter for her courage and expressed remorse for not believing her when she initially told her about the abuse.
"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," Betty DeGeneres said in a statement to NBC News. "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."
In a new episode of “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman,” which premiered Friday, the media mogul talked candidly about her relationship with her stepfather, whom she called a “very bad man.”
When Ellen DeGeneres’ mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, she said her stepfather would grope her breasts as a teen to pretend to check for lumps.
“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,” the 61-year-old said. “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 DeGeneres told her mother about the abuse a few years later, but she was not initially believed.
“Then she stayed with him for 18 more years and finally left him because he changed the story so many times,” she said. “She's apologetic but, you know, it is (what it is).”
The talk show host said she is sharing her story, because she wants to inspire women who are victims of sexual assault.
“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,” she said. “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.”
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