PULL OFF.
ALL THAT ON "MEGYN KELLY TODAY" RIGHT NOW.N "MEGYN KELLY TODAY"
RIGHT NOW. HI.
HI. [ APPLAUSE ]
HELLO.
HI. WELCOME.
WELCOME. HI.
HI. HI, THERE.
HI, THERE. WELCOME, EVERYBODY.
WELCOME, EVERYBODY.
HAPPY DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING. AND WELCOME TO THE SHOW.IVING.
AND WELCOME TO THE SHOW. IM MEGYN KELLY.
A HUGE SHOW FOR YOU TODAY, WITH LOTS OF HELPFUL TIPS FORY, WITH
LOTS OF HELPFUL TIPS FOR THANKSGIVING WHEN IT COMES TO
EATING AND SHOPPING.
>>> FIRST, WE BEGIPPN WITH THE
NEWS.
NEWS.
WERE LEARNING MORE ABOUT
ACCUSATIONS FROM A FORMER MODEL,
WHO SAID THAT DEFJAM RECORDINGS MOGUL RUSSELL SIMMONS ASSAULTED
HER WHEN SHE WAS 17 YEARS OLD.
AND SHE SAYS THAT MOVIE DIRECTOR BRETT RATNER STOOD AND WATCHED.R
BRETT RATNER STOOD AND WATCHED. THE ACCUSER SAYS ITS TIME TO
SHINE A LIGHT ON HOLLYWOODS
ABHORRENT BEHAVIOR
ABHORRENT BEHAVIOR
RELUCTANCE TO TALK ABOUT IT.
KERI CLAUSSEN KHALIGHI WAS JUST
17 IN 1991, WHEN SHE SAYS SHE
RAN INTO BRETT RATNER AND
RUSSELL SIMMONS AT A NEW YORK CITY MUSIC VIDEO CASTING CALL.
SIMMONS WAS ALREADY A SUCCESSFUL
MUSIC MOGUL, AS FOUNDER OF
DEFJAM RECORDINGS.
DEFJAM RECORDINGS. RATNER WAS BREAKING INTO THE
MUSIC VIDEO SCENE.
KHALIGHI SAID THAT RATNER
INVITED HER TO DINNER. AND THEN, SIMMONS ASKED HER UP
TO HIS APARTMENT.
KHALIGHI SAID AS THE VIDEO
PLAYED, SIMMONS BEGAN SEXUALLY
ASSAULTED HER.
ASSAULTED HER.
SHE SAYS SHE WAS FIGHTING SIMMONS OFF, SHE LOOKED OVER TO
RATNER FOR HELP.
NO HELP GAME.
AND KHALIGHI NOW BELIEVES RATNER
WAS IN ON IT.
SHE SAYS SIMMONS RIPPED OFF HER
CLOTHES, TRYING TO FORCE HER TO
HAVE INTERCOURSE WHILE RATNER
LOOKED ON.
LOOKED ON. SIMMONS DENIES IT, SAYING, I
COMPLETELY AND UNEQUIVOCALLY
DENY THE ALLEGATIONS OF
NONCONSENSUAL SEX AGAINST ME.
I KNOW KERI CLAUSSEN KHALIGHI
AND REMEMBER THE WEEKEND IN 1991
SHE HAS REFERENCED.
EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED BETWEEN
US 26 YEARS AGO, WAS COMPLETELY
CONSENSUAL AND WITH KERIS FULL
PARTICIPATION.
PARTICIPATION.
THROUGH HIS LAWYER, BRETT RADNER SAID HE HAD NO MEMORY OFT RADNER
SAID HE HAD NO MEMORY OF KHALIGHI ASKING FOR HELP.
RATNERS LAWYER CATEGORICALLY
DENIES ALL OF THE CLAIMS.
AND NOW, IN AN EXCLUSIVE
INTERVIEW, IM JOINED BY KERI
CLAUSSEN KHALIGHI, FROM LOS
ANGELES.
ANGELES.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. >> HI.YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> HI. >> LETS GO BACK.
LETS GO BACK TO THAT DAY WHEN
YOU WERE 17 YEARS OLD, FROM THE
HEARTLAND, TRYING TO MAKE IT AS
A MODEL.
A MODEL. YOU FOUND YOURSELF INSIDE
RUSSELL SIMMONS APARTMENT WITH
BRETT RATNER WAS THERE.
WHAT WAS THE FIRST SIGN YOU HAD
THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG?
THAT THERE WAS TROUBLE?
>> WELL, AS THE VIDEO WAS
PLAYING, RUSSELL CAME OVER AND
STARTED MAKING ADVANCES.
AND AT THE TIME, I THOUGHT, IT
WAS A JOKE.
AND IT BECAME INCREASINGLY
APPARENT THAT IT WASNT A JOKE.
AND HE CONTINUED HIS ADVANCES.
I LOOKED OVER TO BRETT FOR HELP.
AND ILL NEVER FORGET THE LOOK
ON HIS FACE.
IT WAS AT THAT MOMENT THAT I
REALIZED, I THINK THIS WAS THEIR
PLAN ALL ALONG.
THERE WAS NO HELP THAT WAS GOING
TO COME.
TO COME. >> HOW DID YOU COMMUNICATE, I
DONT WANT THIS?
>> BY BODY LANGUAGE.
BY -- ITS VERY APPARENT WHEN
SOMEBODY DOESNT WANT AN ADVANCE
TO HAPPEN.
TO HAPPEN.
MY BODY WAS CLOSED. I WAS FROZEN.LOSED.
I WAS FROZEN. I LOOKED OVER AT BRETT AND ASKED
FOR HELP BECAUSE I THOUGHT WE
WERE FRIENDS.
WERE FRIENDS. IT WAS A VERY CONFUSING AND
TERRIFYING MOMENT.
TERRIFYING MOMENT.
>> LATER, RUSSELL SIMMONS WOULD
WRITE A BOOK, TALKING ABOUT HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH BRETT.ABOUT HIS
FRIENDSHIP WITH BRETT. AND HE TALKED ABOUT HOW BRETT
RATNER WAS WILLING TO DO
ANYTHING TO BE OF USE TO
RUSSELL, WHO WAS LIKE A FATHER
FIGURE TO HIM.
AFTER HE HUNG AROUND A BIT --
THIS IS SIMMONS -- THAT I LIKED
MODELS, HE MADE IT A BUSINESS TO
TAKE ME TO EVERY MODELS
APARTMENT HE COULD FIND.
WHEN YOU READ THAT YEARS LATER,
HOW DID THAT PUT INTO
PERSPECTIVE, IF AT ALL, WHAT
HAPPENED TO YOU?
>> IT MADE COMPLETE SENSE.
IN THE FASHION CIRCLES, IT WAS
WIDELY KNOWN THEIR REPUTATION
FOR BEING KIND OF MODELIZERS AND
PREFERRING THAT KIND OF COMPANY.
AND IT WAS -- IT MADE A LOT OF
SENSE.
SENSE.
IT MADE MY STORY MAKE A LOT OF
SENSE.
>> I KNOW, YOU TOLD "THE L.A.
TIMES" THAT RUSSELL FORCED YOU TO PERFORM ORAL SEX ON HIM.YOU
TO PERFORM ORAL SEX ON HIM. THAT YOU ACQUIESCED, FEELING YOU
HAD NO OTHER CHOICE.
AND YOU SAY A SECOND ASSAULT
TOOK PLACE.
TOOK PLACE. WHAT HAPPENED THEN?
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. WELL, PART OF MY STORY THAT I
THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO
TALK ABOUT IN THIS CONVERSATION
THATS HAPPENING NATIONALLY
RIGHT NOW, WITH SEX ABUSE COMING
OUT, AFTER THE ORAL SEX PART OF
THE STORY, I STAYED.
I DIDNT RUN OUT.
I STAYED AND I TOOK A SHOWER.
AND AN ADDITIONAL SEXUAL ASSAULT
HAPPENED THERE.
HAPPENED THERE.
AND I THINK THAT PART OF THE STORY IS AN INTERESTING PIECE TO
SHED SOME LIGHT ON, IN REGARDS
TO WHY WOMEN "A" DONT SPEAK OUT
RIGHT AWAY AND WHY THERES A LOT
OF SHAME AROUND THESE STORIES.
A LOT OF TIMES THEY DONT FOLLOW
A CUT-AND-DRIED BLACK-AND-WHITE
KIND OF STORYLINE OF AN ASSAULT
HAPPENS.
HAPPENS.
AND THE MINUTE YOU CAN, YOU RUN
OUT.
YOU KNOW, THERES -- IVE
LEARNED IN A LOT OF THE WORK
THAT IVE DONE AROUND THIS ISSUE, THERES A WHOLE SPECTRUM
OF VARIETY OF RESPONSE, OF
FIGHT, FLIGHT OR FREEZE.
AND I CERTAINLY FROZE.
AND I DID WHAT I CALLED TO
NORMALIZE WHAT WAS AN INCREDIBLY
HARD TO PROCESS SITUATION.
ITS HARD TO PROCESS IN THE
MOMENT, AS A 17-YEAR-OLD.
REALLY AS ANY AGE.
BUT IT TOOK ME YEARS TO PROCESS
THIS EXPERIENCE.
THIS EXPERIENCE. >> DID YOU BLAME YOURSELF?
DID YOU SHAME YOURSELF?
AS WE HEAR SO MANY WOMEN SAY.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. THERES A LOT OF GUILT AND SHAME
INVOLVED IN WHAT HAPPENED.
>> WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR YOU NOW
THAT HE COMES OUT WITH THAT
STATEMENT SAYING, ABSOLUTELY
NOT.
NOT.
IT WAS CONSENSUAL. HEY, WE SPENT THE WEEKEND
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER.
THERE WAS SOMEBODY ELSE IN THE
APARTMENT.
EVERYTHING WAS CONSENSUAL WITH
HER.
I DONT KNOW WHAT TO SAY ABOUT THE EVERYTHING WAS CONSENSUAL.
I HAD FULL PARTICIPATION.
I DONT -- I ALMOST DONT WANT
TO SPEAK AGAINST THAT BECAUSE
ITS LUDICROUS.
ITS LUDICROUS. THERES SO MUCH.
RUSSELL AND I HAVE ACTUALLY HAD
A FACE-TO-FACE CONFRONTATION
AROUND THIS.
AROUND THIS. WEVE HAD PHONE CONVERSATIONS,
WHERE WEVE HAD A CONVERSATION
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED, WHERE THERE
WAS NO DISPUTE OF WHAT WE WERE
TALKING ABOUT.
TALKING ABOUT.
WE WERE BOTH TALKING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED ON THAT NIGHT.OUT WHAT
HAPPENED ON THAT NIGHT. AND HE APOLOGIZED.
AND PART OF WHATS SO CONFUSING
AND RETRAUMATIZING IS WHAT HES
SPEAKING ABOUT PRIVATELY WITH ME
IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN
WHAT HAS COME OUT PUBLICLY.
AND THATS THE PIECE THATS BEEN
REALLY -- REALLY, REALLY
UPSETTING, DISAPPOINTING AND QUITE HONESTLY, JUST REPUGNANT
WITH THE HYPOCRISY WITH THE LIES
AND THE DENIAL.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE -- ON A LARGER
SCALE, ABOUT WHATS HAPPENING IN
THIS COUNTRY RIGHT NOW, AS WOMEN
ARE COMING OUT AND TELLING THESE
STORIES?
STORIES?
WHAT DID THAT DO TO YOU SITTING THERE?ID THAT DO TO YOU SITTING
THERE?
BY THE WAY, SHE IS NINE MONTHS
PREGNANT AND EXPECTING HER THIRD DAUGHTER ON MONDAY.ING HER THIRD
DAUGHTER ON MONDAY. AND HAS DECIDED TO DO THIS
INTERVIEW.
INTERVIEW. [ APPLAUSE ]
WHY?
WHY?
WHY DID YOU FEEL IT WAS IMPORTANT?U FEEL IT WAS
IMPORTANT?
>> YEAH.
THIS IS NOT WHAT I WANT TO BE DOING RIGHT NOW. I WANT TO BE
DOING RIGHT NOW. I AM -- THIS BABY REALLY WANTS
TO COME AND IS WAITING, I THINK,
FOR SOME OF THIS TO SETTLE.
IM COMING OUT NOW BECAUSE I
REALLY, REALLY THINK THIS IS
SUCH AN IMPORTANT EMPOWERMENT
REVOLUTION TO USE YOUR WORDS,
THATS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY POTENT AND
TIMEFUL POTENTIAL TO REALLY
CHANGE THINGS UP.
IF I CAN USE MY EXPERIENCE TO
FURTHER THIS CONVERSATION AND TO
FACILITATE CHANGE IN ANY WAY, IT
MIGHT NOT BE RIGHT NOW THAT WE
SEE THE FRUITS OF THIS LABOR.
BUT I AM BOUND AND DETERMINED TO
MAKE THIS ENVIRONMENT BETTER AND
SAFER AND MORE EMPOWERED FOR MY
DAUGHTERS AND THE SONS AND
DAUGHTERS OF THE FUTURE
GENERATION.
GENERATION.
AND IT STARTS WITH CONVERSATIONS
LIKE THIS.
>> GOOD FOR YOU.
AND I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU SAID. FIGHT FLIGHTIATE WHAT YOU SAID.
FIGHT FLIGHT FIGHT, FLIGHT OR FREEZE.
WE FORGET ABOUT THE FREEZE PART
OF IT.
OF IT. SO MANY WOMEN HAVE DRABESCRIBED
REACTION THAT WAY.
WE HOPE BABY THREE ARRIVES
SAFELY.
SAFELY.
WELL SEE YOU SOON. >> THANK YOU.SOON.
>> THANK YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.