John Stamos is opening up about being sexually abused by a babysitter when he was a child.
Details of the alleged misconduct, which happened when the 60-year-old actor was “around the age of 10 or 11,” are revealed in his upcoming memoir, “If You Would Have Told Me,” out Oct. 24.
In an interview with People published Wednesday, the “Full House” actor said he didn’t fully realize how damaging the babysitter’s actions had been until years later. He also admitted to not sharing the alleged abuse with anyone.
“I think I told myself, like, ‘Ah, it’s girls, man,'” Stamos told the magazine. “It was like you’re playing dead so they’ll stop. But it wasn’t totally aggressive. I don’t know, it was not good.”
While Stamos said he now knows the feeling of being abused had “always been there,” he said he “packed it away” at the time “as people do.”
The Daytime Emmy-nominated actor and singer said the full realization that he had been abused came to him while writing an acceptance speech for an award, which he was going to receive for his work helping victims of child abuse.
Stamos — who has advocated for abused children as “an active and devoted Childhelp Celebrity Ambassador for more than 20 years” — said he started to write the speech “and that’s when [the feelings] really came out.”
“Then I thought, ‘No, tonight is not about me. It’s about the kids. I’m going to pack it away again until the right moment,'” he shared. “Otherwise, I’m a phony f–k.”
Stamos, the father of a 5-year-old, said he “shouldn’t have had to deal with those feelings.” But while he kept them to himself for years, he said it would be a “totally different story” if he found out “someone was doing that to [his] son.”
If you are experiencing abuse or suspect a child has been harmed, abused, or at risk, please call or text the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453 or chat online with a counselor. Victims of sexual assault can confidentially contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 of chat online with a counselor.
