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You Probably Didn't Know It, But These Brave Celebrities Are Rape Survivors
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During a March 2017 interview, Jane Fonda revealed she was raped and sexually abused as a child.
“I’ve been raped, I’ve been sexually abused as a child and I’ve been fired because I wouldn’t sleep with my boss,” she said. “I always thought it was my fault; that I didn’t do or say the right thing.”
- Age: 87
- Profession: Activist, Television producer, Film Producer, Model, Actor
The Best Jane Fonda MoviesSee all
- 1Coming Home109 Votes
- 2On Golden Pond136 Votes
- 39 to 5119 Votes
Talk show host Oprah Winfrey was raped by a relative when she was just nine-years-old.
(Source)
- Age: 71
- Profession: Businessperson, Journalist, Television producer, Film Producer, Actor
The Best Oprah Winfrey MoviesSee all- 1The Color Purple96 Votes
- 2The Butler51 Votes
- 3Charlotte's Web38 Votes
In December 2014, Lady Gaga revealed to radio host Howard Stern that she had been raped by a record producer twenty years her senior when she was 19 years old. The pop star's single, Swine, is about the incident.
She said, “The song is about rape. The song is about demoralization. The song is about rage and fury and passion and I had a lot of pain that I wanted to release and I said to myself, ‘I want to sing this song while I’m ripping hard on a drum kit and then I want to get on a mechanical bull, which is probably one of the most demoralizing things that you can put a female on in her underwear, and I want this chick to throw up on me in front of the world so that I can tell them ‘You know what, you can never ever degrade me as much as I could degrade myself and look how beautiful it is when I do.’”
(Source)- Age: 38
- Profession: Fashion designer, Record producer, Businessperson, Singer-songwriter, Actor
Every Lady Gaga Movie & TV Show, Ranked By FansSee all- 1A Star Is Born67 Votes
- 2House of Gucci26 Votes
- 3Gaga: Five Foot Two19 Votes
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In November 2014, troubled actor Shia LaBeouf publicly claimed that he had been raped by a woman during his #IAMSORRY performance art project in February. As part of the project, LaBeouf sat in a room with a bag over his head while visitors interacted with him. Some held his hand, some said disparaging things, and apparently, one person sexually assaulted him.
LaBeouf told Dazed Digital's Aimee Cliff, "one woman who came with her boyfriend, who was outside the door when this happened, whipped my legs for ten minutes and then stripped my clothing and proceeded to rape me…"
Reaction to the revelation were mixed. Some, like journalist Piers Morgan, refused to believe the actor, while others rushed to support his story. LaBeouf, who struggled with alcohol addition and a "nervous breakdown" earlier in the year, did not press charges.
- Age: 38
- Profession: Comedian, Film Producer, Screenwriter, Actor, Voice acting
The 30+ Best Shia LaBeouf MoviesSee all- 1Disturbia154 Votes
- 2Holes151 Votes
- 3Eagle Eye108 Votes
In 1992, "Bad Boyz II" actress Gabrielle Union was raped while she was working at a shoe store. She was 19 years old at the time.
(Source)- Age: 52
- Profession: Advocate, Model, Actor, Voice acting
The 40+ Best Gabrielle Union MoviesSee all- 1Bad Boys II90 Votes
- 2Bring It On93 Votes
- 3Daddy's Little Girls85 Votes
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- Lucazeppelin
- Wikimedia Commons
- CC BY-SA 2.0
Teri Hatcher was raped by her uncle when she was just five. In 2002, she testified against the man, and he was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
(Source)- Age: 60
- Profession: Actor, Voice acting, Writer, Presenter, Cheerleader
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Bug actress Ashley Judd discusses being raped in her memoir All That Is Bitter and Sweet.
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- Age: 56
- Profession: Etymologist, Spokesperson, Television producer, Actor, Voice acting
The Best Ashley Judd Movies Of All Time, RankedSee all- 1Double Jeopardy282 Votes
- 2Kiss the Girls185 Votes
- 3A Time to Kill158 Votes
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Actor and director Tyler Perry was raped by the mother of a childhood friend, who held him hostage in her house until he had sex with her.
(Source)- Age: 55
- Profession: Television director, Theatre Director, Songwriter, Television producer, Film Producer
All Tyler Perry Movies, RankedSee all- 1Diary of a Mad Black Woman275 Votes
- 2Why Did I Get Married?227 Votes
- 3The Family That Preys201 Votes
In 1989, Fiona Apple was raped outside of her family's apartment. She was only 12-years-old at the time.
- Age: 47
- Profession: Pianist, Musician, Singer-songwriter
All 5 Fiona Apple Albums, Ranked By FansSee all- 1When the Pawn…70 Votes
- 2Tidal65 Votes
- 3The Idler Wheel...65 Votes
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In February 2018, Evan Rachel Wood testified about the multiple sexual assaults she had survived before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations. She spoke in support of the 2016 Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights Act, legislation she and other survivors hope to implement in every state.
In addition to documenting her own trauma and depression, Wood spoke about the importance of enacting laws like the act:
I’m here today to use my position as an artist, survivor, mother, and advocate to bring a human voice to the population of 25 million survivors in the US who are currently experiencing inequality under the law and who desperately need basic civil rights... [This bill is] the recognition of basic civil rights for sexual-assault survivors and serves as a first step. It’s a safety net that may help save someone’s life one day.
- Age: 37
- Profession: Fashion Model, Actor, Voice acting, Singer
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- Ned Scott
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public Domain
Rita Hayworth was repeatedly raped by her father, who tutored and trained her as a dancer traveling the country when she was young. It wasn't until adulthood that she realized that the incestuous relationship was not common between father and daughter.
- Age: Dec. at 68 (1918-1987)
- Profession: Film Producer, Actor, Singer, Dancer
The 30+ Best Rita Hayworth MoviesSee all- 1Gilda142 Votes
- 2You Were Never Lovelier78 Votes
- 3Cover Girl90 Votes
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In 1985, Fran Drescher and a friend were robbed and raped in Drescher's home. Her husband Peter Jacobson was attacked, tied up, and forced to watch the incident.
(Source)
- Age: 67
- Profession: Television director, Comedian, Television producer, Screenwriter, Author
"American Idol" alum Fantasia was raped by a classmate when she was in high school.
(Source)- Age: 40
- Profession: Singer-songwriter, Author, Actor
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- Gage Skidmore
- Wikimedia Commons
- CC BY-SA 3.0
"Pulp Fiction" actor Tim Roth is a survivor of incest that occurred when he was growing up in England.
(Source)- Age: 63
- Profession: Television producer, Actor, Film Director
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The rapper and actress was sexually abused by a babysitter as a child.
- Age: 54
- Profession: Record producer, Songwriter, Television producer, Film Producer, Singer-songwriter
Queen Latifah Movies List, RankedSee all- 1Last Holiday430 Votes
- 2Beauty Shop277 Votes
- 3Set It Off240 Votes
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- Clinton Library
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public Domain
In 1936, poet Maya Angelou was raped by her mother's boyfriend. She was only 8 years old at the time.
(Source)- Age: Dec. at 86 (1928-2014)
- Profession: Poet, Journalist, Television producer, Film Producer, Actor
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In 1982, "Top Gun" actress Kelly McGillis was raped at knifepoint by two men who broke into her apartment.
(Source)- Age: 67
- Profession: Actor
The Best Movies With Kelly McGillisSee all- 1Witness33 Votes
- 2The Accused23 Votes
- 3Made in Heaven15 Votes
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Child star and "Gidget" actress Sandra Dee was repeatedly raped by her stepfather between the ages of 5 and 12.
- Age: Dec. at 62 (1942-2005)
- Profession: Model, Actor
The Best Sandra Dee MoviesSee all- 1A Summer Place99 Votes
- 2Imitation of Life72 Votes
- 3That Funny Feeling58 Votes
- Photo:
- The Library of Congress
- Flickr
In 1926, singer Billie Holiday was raped by a neighbor. She was only 12 years old at the time.
(Source)- Age: Dec. at 44 (1915-1959)
- Profession: Songwriter, Musician, Actor, Composer, Singer
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Singer Rufus Wainwright was raped and robbed in Hyde Park in 1987. He was 14 years old at the time and escaped the incident when he faked a seizure.
(Source)- Age: 51
- Profession: Songwriter, Musician, Actor, Composer, Singer
- Photo:
- Lynn Goldsmith/Contributor
- Corbis Historical/Getty Images
In 1978, Sid Vicious was raped when he was in Rikers Island jail, charged with the murder of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen.
(Source)- Age: Dec. at 21 (1957-1979)
- Profession: Bassist, Songwriter, Musician, Composer, Singer
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- Christian Bertrand
- Shutterstock.com
In 1984, musician Tori Amos was raped at age 21. She wrote the song "Me and Gun" about the incident.
(Source)- Age: 61
- Profession: Film Score Composer, Record producer, Songwriter, Musician, Singer-songwriter
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In his 2011 autobiography, Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland revealed that he was raped at 12 years old by a senior high school student.
(Source)- Age: 57
- Profession: Musician, Singer-songwriter, Composer, Singer
- Photo:
- CBS Television
- Wiki Commons
- Public Domain
Actress Mackenzie Phillips claims that she was raped by her father John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas. The incident occurred in 1978 when Mackenzie was 19 years old.
(Source)- Age: 65
- Profession: Actor, Singer
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- Photo:
- infomatique
- via Flickr
John Peel
British DJ and journalist John Peel was raped by an older classmate when he was 13 years old.
(Source)- Age: 71
- Profession: Cartoonist, Writer
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"Cedar Rapids" actress Anne Heche was raped by her father from the time the she was a toddler until she was 12. Heche says that he also gave her the STD herpes.
(Source)- Age: Dec. at 53 (1969-2022)
- Profession: Television director, Television producer, Screenwriter, Actor, Voice acting
Anne Heche's Best MoviesSee all- 1Six Days Seven Nights80 Votes
- 2Volcano37 Votes
- 3I Know What You Did Last Summer29 Votes
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- Police Mugshot
Clyde Barrow, of "Bonnie and Clyde" fame, was raped when he was in prison. He later killed his attacker by beating him with a pipe.
(Source)- Age: Dec. at 25 (1909-1934)
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- ABC Television
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public Domain
In 1974, singer Connie Francis was raped and nearly killed at a motel in New York.
- Age: 86
- Profession: Actor, Singer
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- Christopher Peterson
- Wikimedia Commons
In 2018, acclaimed author Junor Díaz penned a heartfelt New Yorker essay in which he admitted to having been raped as a child. Díaz wrote he had been abused by an adult he trusted and suffered nightmares, troubles in schools, and anger as a result.
- Age: 56
- Profession: Editor, Professor, Novelist, Writer
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