"Nothing could have prepared me for their blatant, blank dismissal of what had happened to me," Jennifer Grey recalled.
Trigger Warning: This article contains graphic details of child sexual abuse that some readers may find distressing.
Dirty Dancing star Jennifer Grey has alleged in her memoir that she was sexually harassed when she was young. The American actor revealed in her memoir, Out of the Corner, that she was only 14 when the superintendent of her grandparent’s apartment complex molested her. What scarred the actor for life and led to the “loss of her innocence” was when none in her family believed it or trusted her words. "Nothing could have prepared me for their blatant, blank dismissal of what had happened to me," she wrote. Following her arrival home, Grey attempted to reach her grandparents by buzzing their apartment, but they did not answer.
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Concerned and in need of help, she turned to Jorge, whom she had recently met. Her grandparents had previously spoken highly of him, referring to him as "the most wooonderful young man (sic)." According to Grey's recollection, what began as a seemingly innocent conversation with Jorge quickly took a dark turn, reports INSIDER. He allegedly took advantage of the situation, assaulting her sexually, "Oh my god! This guy is so sweet," she wrote. “I must've closed my eyes for a brief second. Next thing I knew, he was behind me, pinning my arms down by my side...”
“He was now licking my neck, breathing harder and harder, pressing his body into me from behind. Then this calm came over me," the Dirty Dancing star continued, and she channeled "an awakened beast I hadn't known was inside me." She yelled that he was "pathetic," and asked, "You can't get someone your own age to have sex with you, so you go after a 14-year-old girl?" that caused the pause of the horrific encounter. What hurt her the most was the response of her kin.
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After the incident, Grey was overwhelmed with a combination of shame, disgust, and the urgent need to confide in someone. She reached out to her father for support, but his response, which insinuated blame and minimized her experience, further deepened her feelings of shame. “Well, what did you expect?" Grey recalled her father responding. "You were probably all juicy from your date. I was filled with shame as well as with a healthy dose of disgust," she wrote. In her quest for solace, Grey turned to her grandparents, hoping for their understanding and validation. However, she was met with anger and disbelief. "Our Jorge? He would never," they said, according to Grey.
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Grey's memoir courageously exposes her personal trauma and sheds light on the significance of providing support and validation to survivors. "This was a loss of innocence," she said, adding, "I felt perhaps I must've been somehow at fault. Why else would the people I trusted most in the world disappoint me so profoundly?" On April 23, Joel Grey wished his daughter the best without commenting on the excerpt in the book on his social media page of Instagram.
If you are a survivor of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-4673) or visit its website to receive confidential support.
References:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CctBJvEOyuT/
https://www.amazon.com/Out-Corner-Memoir-Jennifer-Grey/dp/0593356705
https://www.insider.com/jennifer-grey-molested-14-years-old-dismissal-from-family-2022-5
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Jon Kopaloff
