Nearly one year after Melissa Benoist claimed she was in a past abusive relationship, the Glee star’s ex-husband Blake Jenner responded to the allegations in a lengthy Instagram statement on Thursday, October 8. The actor, 28, said he takes “full responsibility and accountability” for the “abuse” in their marriage before also accusing her of being abusive.
“Over the past eleven months, I have been thinking about how to address a personal situation made public in late-2019. Throughout that time, I reflected on a period in my life that I had previously kept in the darkness out of shame and fear, but I know this is something that needs to be addressed, not just publicly, but also privately with the individual directly affected and with myself,” Blake wrote. “I take full responsibility and accountability for the hurt that I inflicted during my relationship with my past partner — emotionally, mentally and yes, physically.”
Although Blake did not name Melissa, 32, he detailed a past incident in which he threw a phone at the actress’ face. This mirrored a similar story from the Supergirl star’s November 2019 allegations. He went on to call himself a “victim” before alleging that he also experienced abuse.
“It is important to understand that there was mental, emotional and physical abuse inflicted from both ends,” he wrote. “As a result, my former partner and I began to see a therapist together, but despite numerous attempts to work our issues out, we would find ourselves stuck in this toxic cycle that our relationship became.”
The Edge of Seventeen actor said he has “worked on my personal issues” since their split and offered an apology to his former partner.
“I am sorry,” Blake said. “There are many things that I wish I could have done differently; and while I wish it did not take the pain that was suffered throughout the course of our relationship, I will never regress to making the same mistakes ever again. I will never stop doing the work necessary to better myself in all areas of my life. I wish you and your family nothing but good health, joy and love.”
After meeting on the set of Glee, Blake and Melissa officially tied the knot in 2015 and finalized their divorce in 2017. She has since married actor Christopher Wood, and they welcomed their first son together in September. Melissa has not responded to her ex’s Instagram post.
When Melissa first opened up about her past experiences with abuse in November 2019, she never named Blake as her abuser. Many celebrities spoke out and showed support after her initial claims.
“I am a survivor of domestic violence or IPV (intimate partner violence), which is something I never in my life expected I would say, let alone be broadcasting into the ether,” she said in an emotional Instagram video at the time, which was captioned, “Life Isn’t Always What It Seems.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing IPV, please call the National Domestic Violence hotline at 1−800−799−7233.
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