Oprah Winfrey Breaks Down In Tears As She Recalls Being Raped At Age 9: ‘I Kept That Secret’
During an emotional intro to her new Apple TV+ series “The Me You Can’t See,” co-created by Prince Harry, Oprah Winfrey opens up about her childhood trauma. In the new docuseries, which began streaming today (21 May), explores mental health through testimonials by a number of people from different walks of life, including superstar Lady Gaga and Glenn Close.
In the first episode, Oprah opens up about being raped for years as a child by an older cousin: “At nine and 10 and 11 and 12 years old, I was raped by my 19-year-old cousin,” Winfrey said. “I didn’t know what rape was, I certainly wasn’t aware of the word. I had no idea what sex was, I had no idea where babies came from. I didn’t even know what was happening to me, and I kept that secret.” She went on to say: “It’s just something that I accepted, that a girl-child isn’t safe in a world full of men.”
As heartbreaking as this is, this is not the first time Oprah has detailed her traumatic history of sexual assault. She previously revealed that she was abused by several relatives up until she was 14 — which is when she got pregnant and was sent to live with her father. The baby died two weeks after she gave birth. But her first rapist was her 19-year-old cousin, who abused her for several years, the Daily Mail notes.
As we previously reported, in that episode, Lady Gaga revealed that she experienced a “psychotic break” while on tour, as trauma resurfaced from the rape experience at age 19 where she was left pregnant.
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