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In October 2020, 'Basketball Wives' star Evelyn Lozada went on 'The Real' to share her experience of domestic violence, which she suffered at the hands of her ex-husband.
Domestic violence plagues each and every community. While some survivors suffer physical abuse, others are subjected primarily to emotionally abusive and/or coercive behavior. Whatever the case, it goes without saying that it's never okay.
In this gallery, we take a look at what some celebrity survivors of domestic violence have to say about their experience. Click on for more.
Speaking to Oprah about what she saw, Morgan once said: "My mother was trying to scream, but she couldn’t get anything out. It was terrifying to see that as a little girl."
Sources: (Cosmopolitan) (Essence) (NCTSN)
See also: Celebrities accused of domestic violence
Describing her experience of DV, LaToya Jackson once said, "He felt that he owned me and he controlled me, he abused me, he did all these things to me and I never thought that I would get away…"
According to People, actress Debbi Morgan was married to three abusive men before she managed to break the cycle. She also witnessed her mother being abused as a child.
During an episode of her TV show 'Mariah's World,' singer Mariah Carey revealed that she had suffered coercive control at the hands of the man she was married to in her early twenties.
She said: "... for me, and anyone who's been a victim of domestic abuse, nobody wants to even remember it. Nobody even wants to admit it. So to talk about it and say it once, much less 200 times, is like… I have to be punished for it?"
When Amber Heard got divorced in 2016, she alleged physical and emotional abuse within the marriage. In 2016, she wrote an open letter to Porter magazine, with a message of support for survivors.
Singer Keke Wyatt spoke to Essence in 2012 about her abusive relationship and in particular the occasion on which she stabbed her then-husband in self-defense.
TV personality NeNe Leakes opened up during an 'E!' special with Giuliana Rancic about the domestic abuse she suffered at the hands of her son's father.
She also gave a word of advice for sufferers: "Honor yourself and do the right thing because we all know, if it happens once, it’s going to happen again."
Talking about the moment when she made the decision to leave, she said, "My brain just switched and I knew it was going to be very difficult but I just couldn't go any further."
She said: "I was in an abusive relationship and it makes you forget who you are. It made me feel like I'd never be the same person again. No matter what I do, I'll always be this weird version of myself."
She wrote: "You are not alone. You may have suffered alone behind closed doors, but you are not alone. You need to know that. I want to remind you of your strength, a strength that has been multiplied by the number of women who stand silently behind you."
She is quoted as saying, "People won’t understand until they walk in my shoes. I felt so bad for what I did, but I couldn’t let it consume me. It was my faith in God, and my family that helped me through this."
She said: "He was older than me by a lot and had a lot of power and he wanted me to remain away from most people. I never thought I would get out of there."
She went on, "He also liked for his women to get up and walk across the floor for display so that other men could see what he had. I didn’t know how to get out of the whole situation."
In 2015, during an organization benefit, she said: "It seems like I’ve overcome it, but I really haven’t. In the quiet of my mind, I still struggle. So while I’m helping these women, I’m helping myself through it, too. And that’s largely why I’m here."
Actress Halle Berry has not spoken about being a survivor of domestic violence herself, but rather about witnessing her mother's abuse. She does a lot of work with DV prevention and intervention non-profit the Jenesse Center.
She said, "The first person to really say 'I love you' a lot became my abuser. He hit me and then later on he would say 'I love you' and I thought that this must be what love is."
In 2015, Rihanna spoke to Vanity Fair about how, after she suffered two black eyes and bruises to her face in 2009, she became a "poster child for victims of domestic abuse."
In 2005, Tina Turner spoke to Oprah about the publicized abuse she suffered at the hands of her ex-husband. She said, "He liked to show the public that he was in control and that he was a woman hater."
She continued, "I want women to know that…you can live your life, you can regain and re-own yourself and be free and do whatever you want to do. You can start over as long and as many times as you want until you feel that you’ve gotten it right."
She continued, "One day you wake up with a knife at your throat. Another day, your shoes are all torn up. But I did leave and I didn’t take one dime from my husband."
'Legally Blonde' actress Reese Witherspoon revealed during an interview with Oprah that she was in an emotionally abusive relationship at a young age.
Host of British TV show 'Loose Women,' Stacey Solomon opened up during one episode about an abusive relationship she was in when she was younger.
Actress Robin Givens has spoken publicly about the domestic abuse she suffered when she was with her ex-husband. She said, "It’s just amazing what becomes your normal."
Stars open up about their experiences of domestic violence
Domestic violence plagues each and every community.
CELEBRITY Abuse
Domestic violence plagues each and every community. While some survivors suffer physical abuse, others are subjected primarily to emotionally abusive and/or coercive behavior. Whatever the case, it goes without saying that it's never okay.
In this gallery, we take a look at what some celebrity survivors of domestic violence have to say about their experience. Click on for more.