Busy Philipps Opened Up To Ellen Degeneres About Being Sexually Assaulted At Age 14

Busy discusses her sexual assault experience further in her book This Will Only Hurt A Little.

The Ellen Degeneres Show

Last week, Busy Philipps revealed via an Instagram post that she was raped when she was 14. Yesterday, she spoke about the incident publicly for the first time on The Ellen Degeneres Show.

On the show, Busy spoke about how she decided to finally speak about her assault publicly after taking inspiration from the American Blasey Ford versus Kavanaugh sexual assault case.

“I was so moved by [Dr. Ford’s] bravery,” she said. “And it wasn’t something that I felt like 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, ‘It’s been 25 [years] for me and I can do this. I can do this. We can all do this.'”

She added: “And I feel like it’s, politically whatever you believe, I feel like it’s a real moment of reckoning for women that we have, sort of collectively, carried this burden for so long and it’s time to share it and let it out. It was hard. And really scary.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BoPDmUYB1XE/?taken-by=busyphilipps

During the interview, Ellen also revealed that she was a victim of sexual assault in her teens.

“I was 15 and I had something happen to me,” Ellen said. “When I watched Dr. Ford, anyone who’s had something happen to them, you just get so angry when someone doesn’t believe you or says, ‘Why did you wait so long?’ It’s because we’re girls and we’re taught not to say anything and go along with it.”

Busy wrote about her assault in her book, This Will Only Hurt A Little, and told Ellen how it was very hard for her to speak about it.

“I’ve struggled with it for so long,” she said. “For so long. And even when I wrote the chapter in my book I had in my head an escape plan, which was it doesn’t have to go into the book if I panic and don’t want to put it out into the world. But I feel like we’re at this moment in time.”

Ellen said victims, particularly children, need to feel safe enough to raise their voice.

“I think this conversation needs to happen more and people need to, first of all, teach your children to speak up, and don’t ever keep something in and don’t ever be ashamed and think that it’s your problem and your fault because it’s never your fault,” she said. “You’re a child.”

Busy agreed, saying she expects a change in how society handles sexual assault claims.

“We can do better for our kids and the next generation, and we will,” she said.

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