Actor Blake Jenner has broken his silence regarding claims of mental, emotional, and physical abuse lodged against him by his ex-wife, Supergirl’s Melissa Benoist. In November of last year, Benoist posted a 14-minute Instagram video detailing her experience with domestic violence at the hands of a former, younger partner, describing instances where she was “pinned down and slapped repeatedly, punched so hard I felt the wind go out of me, dragged by my hair across pavement, headbutted, pinched until my skin broke, shoved against the wall so hard the drywall broke, choked,†among other instances. While she did not name her abuser in the video, fans were able to deduce that the actress was referring to Jenner, whom she divorced in 2016.
Now, 11 months after Benoit’s viral Instagram video, Jenner has broken his silence on the allegations in a lengthy post of his own. “Over the past eleven months, I have been thinking about how to address a personal situation made public in late-2019,†Jenner begins his six-page Instagram post. He goes on to describe his version of events and admits that he engaged in mental, emotional, and physical abuse in his past relationship with Benoist. “I take full responsibility and accountability for the hurt that I inflicted during my relationship with my past partner - emotionally, mentally, and yes, physically.†Rather than leave it at that, Jenner goes on to allege that Benoist emotionally, mentally, and physically abused him during their relationship. “Without absolving myself of any responsibility,†Jenner writes, “it is important to understand that there was mental, emotional, and physical abuse from both ends.†Jenner is set to star in Richard Linklater’s film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along alongside Ben Platt and Beanie Feldstein. In September, Benoist gave birth to a baby boy with husband Chris Wood. You can read Jenner’s full statement below.