Ellen DeGeneres opened up about her own #MeToo moment, saying she’s “furious” at those who discredit survivors
Over the past year, the #MeToo movement has amplified the voices of survivors of sexual assault and harassment. Ellen DeGeneres, who has briefly shared her own #MeToo experience in the past, recently opened up about it again.
In an October 4th interview with Today’s Savannah Guthrie, DeGeneres specifically discussed the ways that the Christine Blasey Ford allegations—and the backlash to them—have impacted her as a survivor. She noted that she feels angry when people don’t believe survivors when they can’t remember every detail of their experience.
"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?'" she told Guthrie. "You know, you don't remember those things. What you remember is what happened to you and where you were and how you feel. That's what you remember."
“You don’t remember those things. What you remember is what happened to you and where you were and how you feel. That’s what you remember.”
Watch the @theellenshow’s full interview with @savannahguthrie about her experience with sexual abuse, her show and more. pic.twitter.com/PLWQgusE5v
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) October 5, 2018
On the October 3rd episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, DeGeneres spoke to actress Busy Philipps, who recently shared her own sexual assault story in response to Ford’s testimony. The talk show host briefly mentioned her own story of assault, too, sharing that she was 15 when it happened. During her interview with Guthrie, she stressed that, as a young teenager, she was reluctant to come forward because she felt “stupid.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF4jc3Odgpg?feature=oembed
"I think anybody who's gone through it, right now is watching this so angry because, you know, how dare you not believe us," DeGeneres told Guthrie.
Ford’s critics have attacked her both for waiting to speak up and for not remembering every detail of the day surrounding the event. President Donald Trump even mocked her on live TV because she was unable to recall how she got home on the night of her alleged assault.
DeGeneres’s comments speak to the importance of believing and supporting survivors, and further reinforce a basic truth: Victims may not be able to recall every minute detail about their assault, but that in no way means it didn’t happen.
Thank you for shining a light on this, Ellen. We applaud your courage, and we stand with you and all survivors.
