Ellen DeGeneres opened up on David Letterman’s show about the sexual abuse she endured as a teenager from her stepfather. She revealed how he used her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis to manipulate her and later snuck into her room at night, forcing her to escape through a window. Though Ellen eventually told her mother the truth, her mother stayed with him for 18 more years, feeling powerless to act. By sharing her painful story publicly, Ellen hopes to encourage other victims to speak out and reclaim their voices.
