CNN
—
Kristin Chenoweth had a personal reaction to the footage of Sean “Diddy” Combs assaulting his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.
“Honestly i have my reasons for the Sean Combs video bothering me so much. The main thing i need to do is pray for him. For real,” Chenoweth wrote in a post on social media.
When a commenter implored Chenoweth to instead “pray for victims’ deliverance, not for evil abusers,” the actor and singer opened up about the intent of her message.
“Never wanted to come out with it, but here we go. Several years ago i was severely abused. It took me therapy and prayer to understand i deserved better,” Chenoweth wrote.“I was deeply injured physically and spiritually.”
Chenoweth’s revelation comes amidst conversation following CNN’s publication on Friday of video showing Combs physically assaulting his then-girlfriend Ventura in 2016.
Combs and Ventura dated off and on from 2007 to 2018. She filed a since-settled civil suit against the music mogul in November in which she alleged Combs raped her in 2018 and subjected her to years of repeated physical and other abuses over the course of their relationship.
“A decision to settle a lawsuit, especially in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing,” Ben Brafman, an attorney for Combs, told CNN in a statement in November. “Mr. Combs‘ decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims. He is happy they got to a mutual settlement and wishes Ms. Ventura the best.”
On Sunday, Combs apologized for his actions in the surveillance video.
In her own path to recovery, Chenoweth said she found comfort in her faith.
“The only thing i knew to do when i got out was pray,” she said of moving on from her abusive former partner. “Pray for myself. Pray for him as he grew up abused. So. There yall go.”
Editor’s Note: If you or someone you know is struggling with intimate partner violence, there are resources available, including the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
