Matthew McConaughey has revealed that he was sexually abused on several occasions when he was younger.
The Oscar-winning actor shared details of the abuse in his new memoir Greenlights, which tells the story of his life through moments he identifies as green, yellow or red lights (events that caused him to advance, pause or stop).
He said that his first time having sex was non-consensual, and that he was “blackmailed” into it. “I was blackmailed into having sex for the first time when I was 15,” McConaughey writes in his memoir. “I was certain I was going to hell for the premarital sex. Today, I am merely certain that I hope that’s not the case”
McConaughey also claimed that he was “molested by a man when [he] was 18 while knocked unconscious in the back of a van”.
Despite the incidents, McConaughey presses in the book that he does not consider himself a victim. “I’ve never felt like a victim,” McConaughey notes. “I have a lot of proof that the world is conspiring to make me happy.”
In other news, the actor has been busy helping battle the coronavirus crisis in recent months, including aiding in the delivery of 110,000 masks to Texas hospitals.
And back in April, the True Detective star hosted a virtual bingo night for isolated seniors in Texas. The Enclave at Round Rock Senior Living had first asked the actor to join the bingo nights in a September 2019 video message – and he responded and called the numbers over video a few months later.