October was declared Domestic Violence Awareness Month by Congress in 1989 to spread awareness about the impact of domestic violence and provide support to survivors who experience it. Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior used by a person to gain control over their partner. It comes in many forms of threats or harmful actions that can be physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, and financial.
According to the CDC, 41% of women have experienced sexual violence, physical violence or stalking by their partner. Sixty-one million women have endured physical aggression. Several celebrity women have come out with their stories of domestic violence. Some defended themselves legally or physically, and others simply opened up about it through their art. Here are 12 celebrity women who have experienced abuse from their partners.
KeKe Wyatt experienced domestic abuse at the hands of her ex-husband and manager, Rahmat Morton. The two got married in 2000 when Wyatt was just 18 years old. Their abusive marriage came to a head in 2001, when the “Nothing in this World” singer stabbed Morton five times on Christmas Day. She claimed it was an act of self-defense because Morton was choking her over the kitchen counter. Wyatt was charged with assault, but eventually the charges were dismissed. She and Morton stayed married until 2009.
2. Candi Staton, 85
Candi Staton’s 1976 hit “Young Hearts Run Free” has a sound that initially may make one dance. However, its history is far from the joyful upbeat tempo that it exudes. Previous to the making of the song, Staton was the opening act for Ray Charles in Las Vegas. One night, she decided to stay in the audience and watch the rest of the show, when she noticed her husband looking for her. He got angry after not being able to find her for a while, and when they reached their suite, he threatened to kill her. He picked her up and held her over the hotel suite balcony. She talked him out of that, but he moved on to threatening to shoot her. Staton, now 85, said she was so tired of the abusive relationship at that point. She told him to do it and went to sleep. Their relationship eventually ended when they parted ways.
In 1996, Halle Berry toldPeople that a famous ex-boyfriend of hers had hit her so hard that it left her eardrum punctured. She claimed that she lost 80% of her hearing. She left her former partner’s name anonymous. But because she never exposed the person’s identity, many people thought her abuser was her ex-husband, David Justice. They were married from 1993 to 1997. However, Justice claimed he’s innocent and that it was a person she dated before him.
Taraji P. Henson said she has a piece of her lip missing to this day from her teenage relationship. In her 2016 memoir, Around The Way Girl, the actress nicknames her ex Mark and says she met him at age 17. He was her son, Marcel’s father. Though she felt he was the “love” of her life at the time, it became abusive because he believed he was inferior to her. They broke up after he hit Henson with a balled fist, drawing blood.
Former Spice Girls member, Mel B., just tied the knot with her longtime friend Rory McPhee. This is the singer’s third time jumping the broom after leaving her tumultuous marriage to her second husband Stephen Belafonte. They were together from 2007 to 2017, and during that time, Mel B. said she faced both physical and emotional abuse from him. He also threatened to release her sex tapes. Belafonte vehemently denies the allegations and has even gone as far as to file a defamation lawsuit to prove his innocence.
It’s no secret that Tina Turner endured a heavy amount of domestic violence throughout her 16 year marriage to her husband and musical partner Ike Turner. It’s detailed in the 1993 film What’s Love Got to Do With It, and her 2021 documentary Tina, as well as her memoir, My Love Story. She recalled horrific acts of not only being beaten with items like a shoe stretcher, but she was also sexually abused by Turner. After they divorced in 1978, Turner went on to have a successful solo career. Before passing away in 2023, the late singer had the chance to experience real “love” with music executive Erwin Bach. They met in 1985 and were together for nearly three decades before tying the knot in 2013.
Kelly Rowland shocked the world with her confessional hit “Dirty Laundry.” The former Destiny’s Child member admitted to feeling sad and lost when the group disbanded, but happy for Beyoncé’s success. She opened up about an anonymous ex who told her lies about her childhood friend and parents not caring about her. What’s worse is Rowland claims that this person also abused her. She sings, “Meanwhile this n-gga putting his hands on me.” But eventually she made her way out of the relationship and is now married to talent manager Tim Weatherspoon. They share two sons.
Mary J. Blige’s turbulent relationship with Jodeci singer K-Ci Hailey was on and off for about six years. Throughout their time as a couple, there was both substance abuse and domestic violence. The turmoil between them and the drug abuse is what inspired Blige’s 1994 album My Life. In her documentary, Mary J. Blige’s My Life, she said, “I was singing for my life literally” on the album. She said, “This was, like, a turning point. This was a decision I had to make to either live or die.”
Two years after giving birth to her first child, Leodis Jackson, Keke Palmer and her child’s father, Darius Jackson, seemed to have hit a stride with healthy co-parenting. This is after their relationship went left when Jackson shamed her online for wearing what he believed to be an inappropriate dress to an Usher concert in 2023. It sparked an online debate, and their relationship went downhill from there. Months later, she obtained a temporary restraining order after detailing multiple abuse allegations. Palmer claimed he broke into her home and even attempted to strangle her. He countered her statement, claiming she was abusive as well. But months later, they decided to settle on a joint custody agreement.
Rihanna’s relationship with then boyfriend Chris Brown took a turn for the worse when they got into a physical altercation in 2009. Pictures of Rihanna’s bruises and swollen face surfaced on the internet, and Brown pleaded guilty to the felony assault charge. Though they continued to see each other for some time, they both eventually went their separate ways, with Rihanna making her mark in the fashion and beauty industries. She’s now in a relationship with rapper A$AP Rocky, and the couple has welcomed three children together.
Angela Simmons opened up about being in a past abusive relationship during a discussion with Taraji P. Henson on her show, Peace of Mind with Taraji. In the 2021 chat, she talked about an unnamed ex whose abuse affected her mental health. She recalled that her former partner had a temper and would throw things at her. There were even times she was so afraid of him that she would jump out of moving cars. She didn’t share what time period this relationship took place in. However, she turned her pain and struggles to make a positive impact on other women’s lives. She created a program in 2018 called Pressure Makes Diamonds. With it, she would go and speak to other women about her story and give them some encouragement through their struggles.
Musician and chef Kelis was married to rapper Nas in 2005. But she filed for divorce in 2009, with claims that their relationship was toxic. In a 2018 interview with Hollywood Unlocked, she said the marriage was “dark” and accused Nas of drinking “way too much” to the point that he would black out. She also admitted that they would fight each other, but that Nas would be the one who started the physical fights. Due to his excessive drinking, she said they even had some really bad nights where they would wake up the next day and it was like it didn’t happen. Her guess was “he may not remember” some of those fights. Nas denied the abuse allegations later that same year.
