© Getty Images

Dele Alli -

Soccer star Dele Alli opened up about his own childhood trauma in an interview with Gary Neville on his podcast 'The Overlap' released on July 13, 2023. Alli revealed that had recently spent six weeks in a rehab facility to receive treatment for “addiction and trauma." Alli bravely shared that during his chaotic childhood, he had been molested by a friend of his mother's who visited their home regularly. He says this occurred when he was just six years old. “My mom was an alcoholic, [so] that happened at six. I was sent to Africa to learn discipline, and then I was sent back. At seven, I started smoking; eight, I started dealing drugs,” he explained. 

© Getty Images

Marcus Mumford -

In 2022, Marcus Mumford revealed that he was sexually abused as a child. The Mumford and Sons frontman released his first solo album, called 'Self-Titled,' in which he addresses the traumatic event, and decided to speak openly about it for the first time in three decades. “Like lots of people—and I’m learning more and more about this as we go and as I play it to people—I was sexually abused as a child,” Mumford told GQ. “Not by family and not in the church, which might be some people’s assumption. But I hadn’t told anyone about it for 30 years.” He shared that he hadn't even told his mother, who learned about the abuse for the first time when he played her his new song 'Cannibal' which talks about the experience. 'Cannibal' is the first track on Mumford's new album. The second track is called 'Grace,' a song he wrote about the conversation he had with his mother after she learned that he had been abused. 

© Getty Images

Bobby Brown -

R&B singer Bobby Brown opened up ahead of the release of his documentary 'Biography: Bobby Brown,' which discusses his battle with addiction, the loss of two of his children, and a traumatic childhood experience he never spoke about. In the doc, he details growing up in a rough part of Boston and seeing his mother beaten and arrested by police, then being sent to temporary custody by social services, "which was supposed to be a religious place but it wasn't a very nice place to be for a child. One of the priests tried to molest me," Brown says. "At that time, I was a young boy. I didn't know what sexual boundaries were. I just knew I didn't like being touched. Some things are hard to forget." He eventually fought back and fled the religious facility, but in hindsight, he said, "I think it was part of the reason I did things, other things, drugs, alcohol, why I abused myself." He added that he coped by embracing music and rebelling against authority, but had tucked the painful memory "so deep into my soul that I didn't think that I would talk about it again."

© Getty Images

Joshua Bassett -

Actor Joshua Bassett, star of the Disney show 'High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,' bravely shared that he was sexually abused as a child and teenager. The young star spoke about it publicly for the first time in an interview with GQ, and has since shared some of the ignorant, offensive comments he has been fielding on social media. Bassett has chosen to share and respond to such comments in the hopes of educating those who are ignorant to the realities of sexual abuse so they can learn to be more compassionate. "Those who speak like this are the REASON why I keep going. Just because I'm speaking up doesn't mean I'm the only one with something to say—and if I can help JUST one person feel empowered, all the internet nonsense melts away."

© Getty Images

Kyle Beach -

More than ten years after his assault took place, Canadian hockey player Kyle Beach took legal action against the Chicago Blackhawks for their disgracefully inadequate response when he reported it to them in 2010. Beach was a 21-year-old member of the team when one of the coaches, Bradley Aldrich, physically threatened and forced him into an unwanted sexual encounter. Beach reported the incident to the managers of the team, who chose not to fire Aldrich immediately as they felt it might disrupt the team's performance mid-season. Early in 2021, Beach decided to bring legal action against the Chicago Blackhawks for their terrible mishandling of his report and the trauma he suffered as a result.

© Getty Images

Oscar De La Hoya -

The legendary boxer Oscar De La Hoya has recently shared that he was a victim of sexual abuse as a child. De La Hoya told the Los Angeles Times that he was taken advantage of by an older woman at a boxing tournament when he was 13 years old. The alleged abuser was in her late thirties at the time. De La Hoya retired from boxing in 2008 after a brutal defeat at the hands of Manny Pacquiao. He shared that he was struggling with his suppressed trauma at the time and was using drugs and alcohol to cope. "You’re living this life, the Golden Boy, but, oh s***, wait, that's still there... I never processed it, I never really thought how my feelings are ... until one day it just comes out, and you don't know how to deal with it." De La Hoya decided to return to boxing last year, which he says has now become therapeutic for him. 

© Getty Images 

Matthew McConaughey - Matthew McConaughey released his memoir 'Greenlights' in October 2020, in which he detailed some horrible incidents from his past.

© Getty Images

Matthew McConaughey -

He shares that he was blackmailed into having sex for the first time when he was 15 years old. And at the age of 18, he was knocked unconscious and molested by a man in the back of a van.

© Getty Images 

Matthew McConaughey -

McConaughey wrote that he never felt like a victim. "I have a lot of proof that the world is conspiring to make me happy."

© Getty Images

Tyler Perry - Actor and director Tyler Perry opened up about the terrible abuse he suffered during his youth.

© Getty Images

Tyler Perry -

Perry says he was sexually assaulted by the mother of a childhood friend, who held him hostage in her house. He bravely shared his story after gaining significant success, helping other young survivors feel less alone.

© Getty Images

Anthony Rapp -

Anthony Rapp is one of the biggest stars of Broadway and has been involved in acting and singing since he was very young.

© Getty Images 

Anthony Rapp -

In 2017, he went public about an alleged sexual assault perpetrated by the Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey.

© Getty Images 

Anthony Rapp -

Rapp was a teenager at the time of the incident. Spacey apologized publicly but claimed he didn't remember what happened.

© Getty Images 

Corey Feldman and Corey Haim -

Corey Feldman was one of the biggest child stars of the '80s, starring in movies like 'The Goonies,' 'The Lost Boys,' and 'Stand By Me.'

© Getty Images 

Corey Feldman and Corey Haim -

In 2017, Feldman began a fundraiser to create a documentary about the sexual abuse he suffered as a child actor in Hollywood.

© Getty Images 

Corey Feldman and Corey Haim -

Feldman alleges that he and late actor Corey Haim (pictured) were both abused as children by prominent members of the film industry.

© Getty Images 

Corey Feldman and Corey Haim -

"What would I say to parents of children in the industry? My only advice, honestly, is to get these kids out of Hollywood and let them lead normal lives."

© Getty Images 

Common -

Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar-winning rapper Common shared that he was sexually assaulted by a family friend when he was a child.

© Getty Images 

Common -

In his memoir 'Let Love Have the Last Word,' he explains that the memory of this abuse only came to him as an adult when he was working on the movie 'The Tale,' which tells a true story about child abuse.

© Getty Images 

Common -

Common bravely shares his story to encourage other survivors to begin their healing journeys and show them that there's nothing to be ashamed of.

© Getty Images 

Terry Crews -

Terry Crews is well known for his impressive stature and muscles, as well as for his comedic roles.

© Getty Images

Terry Crews -

When the Me Too movement began, Crews shared his own message on Twitter that he had gone through a similar experience.

© Getty Images 

Terry Crews -

Crews revealed that a powerful talent agent had groped him at a Hollywood party and laughed at him when he protested. The alleged perpetrator was later revealed to be Adam Venit. Once Crews shared his experience, several other alleged victims of Venit came forward.

© Getty Images

Brendan Fraser -

Brendan Fraser also came forward during the Me Too Movement. He alleges he was assaulted by the ex-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

© Getty Images

Brendan Fraser -

Fraser says he rushed home and told his wife about it, but was too afraid to come forward with his story until he saw the movement of brave survivors speaking out.

© Getty Images

Alex Winter -

Alex Winter became a star when he was just a teenager, playing Bill in 'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure' alongside Keanu Reeves.

© Getty Images 

Alex Winter -

In 2017, he finally felt comfortable to share his experiences with abuse, also inspired by the honesty and bravery of those taking part in the Me Too movement.

© Getty Images 

Alex Winter -

Winter believes that the movement has had an incredibly positive effect for both male and female survivors.

© Getty Images 

James Van Der Beek -

'Dawson's Creek' star James Van Der Beek showed his support for the Me Too Movement and also shared his own experiences on Twitter.

© Getty Images 

James Van Der Beek -

He revealed that he had been groped by older, powerful men, and also been cornered in inappropriate sexual conversations when he was much younger.

© Getty Images 

James Van Der Beek -

He wrote, “I understand the unwarranted shame, powerlessness & inability to blow the whistle. There’s a power dynamic that feels impossible to overcome.”

© Getty Images 

Michael Gaston -

Actor Michael Gaston shared his experience during the Me Too movement on Twitter. Twenty-five years earlier, he says he was groped by a director, who would later become extremely successful, during rehearsals for a play.

© Getty Images 

Michael Gaston -

Gaston said, "I give the benefit of what little doubt I have to any woman who claims a powerful man treated her inappropriately. Because it happened to me."

© Getty Images 

Roy Rosselló -

In 1990, two brothers named Lyle and Erik Menendez were arrested for the murder of their parents; Jose and Kitty Menendez. Jose Menendez was an executive in the music industry and the family enjoyed considerable wealth. The trial of these two privileged young men entranced the nation. They claimed that they killed their parents out of fear of their father, who had allegedly abused them sexually, physically, and emotionally throughout their lives. However, the jury found them guilty of first-degree murder in 1996 and they were sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. 

© Getty Images 

Roy Rosselló -

In an unexpected development almost 30 years later, another person come forward claiming they too were sexually abused by Jose Menendez. The man in question is Puerto Rican singer Roy Rosselló. Rosselló was a member of the boy band Menudo in the 1980s, which also included famous pop star Ricky Martin. The boys were all in their teens during the height of their success, which is when they came across Menendez in his capacity as the head of RCA Records. Rosselló claims that Menendez drugged and sexually assaulted him during a visit to the family home. He was 14 years old at the time. Shockingly, this isn't the first time a member of Menudo has made such allegations. Multiple members of the band accused a former manager of sexually abusing them in the 2022 documentary 'Menudo: Forever Young.' The allegations shine a new light on the Menedez brother case. 

Sources: (Insider) (Vanity Fair) (Sowetan Live) (She Knows) (Variety) (The Guardian) (LA Times)

See also: The dark side of fame

© Getty Images