Mandy Moore is here to tell you, speaking out is just the beginning.
The This Is Us star put her voice front and center in an exposé about how her ex-husband treats women last month.
For those who don’t know, Mandy was married to musician Ryan Adams for seven years.
If you’re wondering where her music career went? Well, that’s your answer. After marrying him in 2009, she says he took over her music career and basically smothered it.
Related: Mandy Goes Deep On WTF Podcast
She talked about how he put her down and used what was perceived as his musical superiority to crush her confidence. According to Mandy, the Lucky Now singer only let her put out songs written with him — and never actually releasing any of them:
“His controlling behavior essentially did block my ability to make new connections in the industry during a very pivotal and potentially lucrative time — my entire mid-to-late 20s.”
But Mandy didn’t plan to go public and make a big thing of it — until she got in touch with other women who had stories about Ryan.
When the experiences were put together, what emerged was a pattern of using status and power to dangle success in front of women who wanted to enter the music world — and trying to use that to get into their pants.
More seriously, Ryan also faces an allegation of sexting with an underage fan.
For people who think nothing ever changes based on this sort of reporting, well, Mandy is calling B.S. on that right now. Speaking out is an important first step.
She told Us Weekly during a PaleyFest panel for her hit NBC drama her big takeaway has been learning how many women have faced this situation — and kept as silent as Mandy had:
“That’s something that I’ve really kind of taken out of this situation. I had no idea… So many women reached out to me, echoing… that the idea that psychological and emotional is often swept under the rug, or not addressed or not talked about, or not considered in the same category of just general abuse.”
One of the reasons abusers get away with gaslighting is the many people they lie to on a regular basis don’t speak up.
Mandy continued:
“I’ve just been really emboldened by the support that, I think, myself and the other women that have spoken out in this particular situation have received. It’s really heartening. And heartening to know that other women can look to it as an example as well. Like, ‘You’re not alone. You’re seen. You’re heard. You’re acknowledged. It’s real. And I’m so sorry.'”
If you think that’s nothing, you’ve never been in this kind of situation.
We’re so glad speaking out made a difference.
[Image via BBC/FayesVision/WENN.]
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