Tatum O’Neal Says She Was Sexually Assaulted as a Child ‘More Than Once’: ‘I Remember Everything!!’

“We’ve sunk to a depth of depravity that I never thought the president of the United States could ever sink to,” Oscar winner writes

Tatum O'Neal
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Actress Tatum O’Neal is joining a growing chorus of women who have come forward with stories of sexual assault since Christine Blasey Ford accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in the 1980s.

In a lengthy Instagram post on Thursday, the Oscar winner admonished President Donald Trump for mocking Ford during a political rally earlier this week.

“We’ve sunk to a depth of depravity that I never thought the president of the United States could ever sink to,” O’Neal wrote, referring to the president’s comments about Ford.

O’Neal — who won an Oscar at age 10 playing opposite her dad, Ryan O’Neal in the 1974 drama “Paper Moon” — said all the assaults were committed by “older men” whom she thought “were safe.”

“I am a woman and i have been sexually assaulted more than once!! ” O’Neal wrote. “It was not my fault when i was 5, 6 12 , 13 , 15.”

“It’s taken in me almost 55 years to know how to advocate for myself,” she continued. “Whether it was 35 years ago to a 75-year-old man at 15 I remember everything!!”

At a rally in Mississippi Tuesday, Trump mocked Ford for not recalling key details in her account of a party of high schoolers in the early 1980s.

“[T]here are people will say, I had it coming or it was probably my fault. Or I deserved it -that’s what America has come to you now [sic],” O’Neal said.

“Let’s,lead [sic] with love and kindness and empathy Towards [sic] one another,” she concluded, adding that the victim of sexual or violence “must NOT put down our armor.”

The post includes a picture of O’Neal from “Paper Moon” smoking a cigarette.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

M O O D!! I am a woman and i have been sexually assaulted more than once !! It was not my fault when i was 5, 6 12 , 13 , 15. – All by older men who i thought were safe ! I rarely have known safety and was always blamed for for the assaults and,my loudness , and curiosity. It’s taken in me almost 55 years to know how to advocate for myself But I learn fast and here I go!! To see the president of US.Mock a woman, let alone a sexual assault victim. We’ve sunk to a depth of depravity that I never thought the president of the United States could ever sink to you. With uproarious laughter for someone who was assaulted at 15 years old. Whether it was 35 years ago to a 75-year-old man at 15 I remember everything !! It’s time to band together. So this time in history is having a lot of negative impact and Activation-for alot of people like me. there are people will say, I had it coming or it was probably my fault. Or I deserved it -that’s what America has come to you now. Together we fight on for the empathy, and kindness towards one another, whatever your preferences are , whether you’re black or white or conservative or liberal we are Americans and we should always fight for people who have had trauma or who have suffered, and never hurt others for whatever reason. I’ve never seen such a dark time in our country . I was too young to remember 68 – but I feel like we’re headed to something much worse -Before gets better. Let’s,lead with love and kindness and empathy Towards one another.But we , victims the victim of sexual Assault,or violence,must NOT put down our armor.It’s time to fight for one another and each other in this dark time ! America We can do better – we will be better!!’ ????????????????

A post shared by Tatum O’neal (@tatum__oneal) on

O’Neal, who has spoken about her experience with sexual abuse in the past, is the daughter of actress Joanna Moore, best known as the sheriff’s girlfriend on the “Andy Griffith Show,” and actor Ryan O’Neal.

In 1974, at the age of 10, she became the youngest person to win an Oscar for her role in “Paper Moon,” a movie she co-starred with her father. In her 2004 memoir, “A Paper Life,” O’Neal described a childhood full of neglect and abuse, both physical and sexual.

“When parents are off getting drunk or getting high or taking pills in another room, and leaving little children with, you know, people who don’t watch their kids, this is what happens,” she told NBC’s “Dateline” in 2004. “I thank God everyday that it is so behind me.”

Read O’Neal’s full post below.

“M O O D!! I am a woman and i have been sexually assaulted more than once !! It was not my fault when i was 5, 6 12 , 13 , 15. – All by older men who i thought were safe ! I rarely have known safety and always blamed for for the assaults and,my loudness , and curiosity. It’s taken in me almost 55 years to know how to advocate for myself But I learn fast and here I go!! To see the president of US.Mock a woman, let alone a sexual assault victim. We’ve sunk to a depth of depravity that I never thought the president of the United States could ever sink to you. With uproarious laughter for someone who was assaulted at 15 years old. Whether it was 35 years ago to a 75-year-old man at 15 I remember everything !! It’s time to band together. So this time in history is having a lot of negative impact and Activation-for alot of people like me. there are people will say, I had it coming or it was probably my fault. Or I deserved it -that’s what America has come to you now. Together we fight on for the empathy, and kindness towards one another, whatever your preferences are , whether you’re black or white or conservative or liberal we are Americans and we should always fight for people who have had trauma or who have suffered, and never hurt others for whatever reason. I’ve never seen such a dark time in our country . I was too young to remember 68 – but I feel like we’re headed to something much worse -Before gets better. Let’s,lead with love and kindness and empathy Towards one another.But we , victims the victim of sexual Assault,or violence,must NOT put down our armor.It’s time to fight for one another and each other this dark time ! America. We can do better we will be better!!”

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