Hollywood is standing with Melissa Benoist. The Supergirl star took to Instagram on November 27, 2019 and uploaded an emotional video in which she shared a letter she wrote about her experience with domestic violence. Despite not revealing who her abuser was, Melissa went into detail about the physical and mental abuse that she suffered during the relationship.
“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,” the 31-year-old admitted in the video which she captioned, “Life Isn’t Always What It Seems.”
She explained how before physically hurting her, her unnamed ex would emotionally manipulate her which caused her to turn down acting projects.
“He didn’t want me ever kissing or even having flirtatious scenes with men, which was very hard for me to avoid, so I began turning down auditions, job offers, test deals and friendships, because I didn’t want to hurt him,” Melissa revealed. “I learned what it felt like to be pinned down and slapped repeatedly, punched so hard I felt the wind go out of me, dragged by my hair across pavement, head-butted, pinched until my skin broke, slammed against he wall so hard the drywall broke, choked.”
Nearly one year later, the Glee star’s ex-husband Blake Jenner responded to the allegations in a lengthy Instagram statement on October 8. The actor said he takes “full responsibility and accountability” for the “abuse” in their marriage before also accusing her of being abusive.
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. Scroll through our gallery to check out all the stars who supported Melissa after she opened up about her experience with IPV.
If you or someone you know is experiencing IPV, please call the National Domestic Violence hotline at 1−800−799−7233.
Love J-14? Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for fun, exclusive videos with your favorite stars.