NEWSBlake Jenner Responds To Ex Melissa Benoist's Abuse Allegations, Calls It Mutual
Oct. 9 2020, Updated 12:35 p.m. ET
Nearly a year after Melissa Benoist accused Blake Jenner of domestic abuse, the actor addressed the allegations, saying that he also experienced abuse during marriage.
The 28-year-old took to Instagram on Thursday, October 8, to talk about his experience and said that he had kept quiet "out of shame and fear." However, he acknowledged that this needs to be addressed publicly and privately with himself, the "individual directly affected."
“Two years prior to the end of our relationship, there was a time where my past partner and I were in an argument that escalated, and in a moment of frustration, while I was standing in the hallway and she was in our bedroom, I threw my phone aimlessly and it hit my former partner in her face,” he admitted. “It’s a moment that I will regret for the rest of my life. If I could do anything to take it back, I would.”
“I have thought long and hard about whether or not to speak out about the pain that was inflicted onto me throughout the course of this relationship by my former partner; and I have come to the conclusion that yes, it is important for me to do so,” he wrote.
“There are also discrepancies between the recollections of our relationship, “its timeline and the things that took place over the years,” he said. “To get into the specifics would not only be revealing things that I believe my former partner would want respected as they pertain to her personal life, but would inevitably turn this into a she-said-he-said mudslinging match of sorts — and that is the last thing I believe anyone wants. I think what I’m trying to get at is that this relationship — in all of its toxicity and turbulence — was the product of two broken people over the span of years.”
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Jenner also held himself accountable for the "pain" that he caused to her, and that he is still working towards forgiving himself.
He also added that it was crucial to share accounts of the time that they spent together, saying that "accountability goes both ways and one has a right to defend oneself when deemed necessary."
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The star went on to claim in his post that the "mental, emotional and physcial abuse" came from both ends and that they met a therapist to talk their way out of the "toxic cycle" they found themselves stuck in.
Adding to his side of the story, he claimed that Benoist "slapped," "scratched," and "punched" him numerous times.
"I was physically assaulted in the shower, leaving me with a traumatic injury that I do not want to delve into at this time," he explained.
“I can unequivocally say that I know who I am and know that I have grown and learned from the mistakes I have made throughout a long period of self-examination and work, but very much understand that I can always learn and continually grow,” he concluded. “I hope that by me sharing my story, that it can help people, in some capacity, to reflect, listen, and emerge from the shame and secrecy of abuse.”
Benoist and Blake parted ways in 2016, and Melissa has since marred costar Chris Wood; the two welcomed their first child this summer.
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