'I WAS GROOMED'
Mackenzie Phillips realized her ‘sexual relationship’ with famous father John was ‘NOT consensual’ after Oprah interview
MACKENZIE Phillips claimed she realized the ‘sexual relationship’ she had with her famous father, John, was ‘NOT consensual’ after an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The eldest daughter of The Mamas & The Papas lead singer, John Phillips, first made the allegation that her dad raped her for years in her 2009 novel, High On Arrival.
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At the time, the former-child star called the alleged 10-year incestuous relationship - which she said began when she was 19-years-old - “consensual.”
During the book’s release week in September 2009, Mackenzie, 62, read an excerpt from her memoir out loud in front of cameras on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
”I woke up that night from a blackout to find myself having sex with my father. I don't know how it started.
"It didn't happen every day, it didn't happen every week, but it certainly happened and happened many times.
"It became a consensual relationship over time. I can't believe I'm the only one this happened to," she read to the talk show host and her live audience.
The Orange Is The New Black actress claimed the alleged incident first happened in a hotel room during the 1970’s but the rape continued on for another decade.
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During the latest episode of the hosted by , Mackenzie revealed that her chat with Oprah is what made her realize she was sexually abused during the dynamic she previously thought was consensual.
“When I wrote [my memoir], I wasn't Googling, you know, 'am I allowed to say this was a relationship? Or should I call it sexual abuse?' Because I did call it a consensual relationship in the initial book.
“And then when I was on Oprah and all of the massive amount of press that I did in the days after the release of the book, I was inundated on all social media platforms with private messages saying, 'this is not a consensual relationship. There is no such thing as consent because the power dynamic between a parent and a child is so specific and there there's no such thing as consent.'
“I really had to rethink because I thought that I consented because I didn't scream and yell. I thought that I had consented for a myriad of reasons. And what I learned is that I had been groomed.
“And it was a media s**t storm. Pardon my French, but I really didn't expect that kind of backlash. I really didn't. Maybe I was naive.”
INITIAL BACKLASH
Reflecting on the reaction she received when she went public with the claims, the American Graffiti star said she assumed she would be met with “understanding” from others but she made it clear that “did not happen.”
“Everyone was just like, ‘the allegations are shocking.’ And then people would say something like, 'well, yeah, of course you waited until he was dead because, so he couldn't refute.'
"And of course, had I done it when he was alive, they would have said, 'why don't you wait till he was dead? You know? So it's a rock, meets a hard place.
“I believe that if [her book] High On Arrival had come out in the current climate of Me Too, the backlash would have been very, very, almost like a whisper, because this was prior to the Me Too movement. Prior to ‘everyone should have a platform and be believed.’
“And so, you know, it was just a little too early in the timeliness, the timeline of understanding how to treat a teenager with a substance use disorder who is famous."
On March 18, 2001, John died of heart failure at the age of 65 in Los Angeles.
LIFE AFTER JOHN'S DEATH
Mackenzie did not make the claims about her father until eight years later when her book was published in 2009.
At the time, she was met with criticisms and denial by her own family but claimed that they have recently rekindled their relationship.
Adding to the podcast, she said: “The Oprah Winfrey interview on the day that the book was published, the day that it hit the stands, there was a lot of unrest and distress in my family, which has over the years gotten much better just in case anybody was wondering.
“There’s a family thread, we all text and we're all in touch. And [Bijou and Chynna] and I spend time together whenever we can."
At the time her novel came out, her sisters Chynna, 54, and Bijou Phillips, 41, were to of the only family members who were publicly supportive of Mackenzie.
SISTER SUPPORT
Chynna told Oprah during the same episode: ”I was praying for [her sister] the whole time. It's very taboo.
“Many people were repulsed, horrified, for her to come out and talk about something no one wants to hear about, she had the courage. I'm proud of my sister.”
Bijou went on to call the situation "heartbreaking" but has made less public comments about the matter.
Mackenzie has been married three times and has been hitched to her third husband, Keith Levenson, since 2005.
She continues to work in Hollywood and in 2018, starred as Barbara Denning in multiple episodes of the Netflix hit, Orange Is the New Black.
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More recently, she reprised her role as Pam in 2020 in the soap opera, One Day At A Time.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network) at 800-656-HOPE (4673).
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