Appearing on season 2 of David Letterman's Netflix show, 'My Next Guest Needs No Introduction,' Ellen DeGeneres elaborated on previous statements she made about being a victim of sexual assault when she was a teenager.
The 61-year-old comedian and talk show host explained to Letterman that her stepfather groped her breasts several times while claiming to be looking for lumps, and that initially her mother didn't believe her and stayed with the man for another 18 years.
Although she does not name the man during the interview, it's been revealed that DeGeneres' mother, Betty, married Texas salesman Roy Grussendorf in 1973, around the time that DeGeneres claims the abuse took place. Additionally, it's been noted that Grussendorf died in 1997.
DeGeneres also mentions on the show that her mother is a breast cancer survivor, and that her stepfather wanted to touch her breasts after finding a lump on her mothers'. "Again, because I didn't know about bodies," DeGeneres explained, "I don't know that breasts are all different and... anyway, he convinced me that he needs to feel my breasts and then he tries to do it again another time, and then another time."
From there she recalls how "He tried to break my door down, and I kicked the window out and ran cause I knew it was going to go more to something… and I didn’t want to tell my mother cause I was protecting her and I knew that would ruin her happiness." Throughout the segment, DeGeneres explains that she's angry because she was too young to stand up for herself, while now going into detail over the abuse to help other victims come forward.
Her interview is one of many in the second series of David Letterman's show which will launch on Netflix on Friday (May 31).
Source: DailyMail
