Charlamagne Tha God Realized He Was Abused As A Child Thanks To Tyler Perry Interview

He was a young boy who had sexual encounters with older women and he didn't call it "abuse" until he saw Perry's interview with Oprah Winfrey.

BYErika Marie
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When it comes to his journey of healing, Charlamagne Tha God has been an open book. The radio and podcast host has often spoken out about the importance of mental health and recognizing ones own traumas, and in a recent sit-down with Daily Blast Live, Charlamagne revealed that he has been molested as a child but did not recognize it as abuse because it was by a woman.

We have often seen headlines about teachers who are women abusing their students or even rappers discussing hiring prostitutes who are adult women to perform sex acts on their young sons. There are a select group of people who do not see this as molestation or sexual abuse, but Charlamagne said that it was a Tyler Perry interview that opened his eyes.

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"You know what's so crazy, when I first watched that interview, I wasn't nowhere doing no kind of work on myself," he said. "I saw it in real-time back in the day when he was on Oprah. I watched him crying and I remember just saying to myself, 'Well, what's wrong with him?' Because I think the way that men process sexual assault is different. We don't look at it as sexual assault. We look at it as, 'I was eight gettin' it poppin' with an older woman.'"

He said he remembered being with his friends at that young age "having conversations about being with older women back then." Charlamagne admitted that he nor his friends believed they were being sexually assaulted and it wasn't until he was in his late 30s that he began processing his experience differently.

"I just understood it more because you just don't know what that did to you." Watch Charlamagne Tha God's interview below.


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About The Author
Erika Marie is a seasoned journalist, editor, and ghostwriter who works predominantly in the fields of music, spirituality, mental health advocacy, and social activism. The Los Angeles editor, storyteller, and activist has been involved in the behind-the-scenes workings of the entertainment industry for nearly two decades. E.M. attempts to write stories that are compelling while remaining informative and respectful. She's an advocate of lyrical witticism & the power of the pen. Favorites: Motown, New Jack Swing, '90s R&B, Hip Hop, Indie Rock, & Punk; Funk, Soul, Harlem Renaissance Jazz greats, and artists who innovate, not simply replicate.