Minka Kelly Reveals Shocking Childhood Abuse: Actress Was Almost A Teen Mom
Apr. 13 2023, Published 6:30 p.m. ET
Minka Kelly revealed shocking details of her childhood about being abandoned by her mother, coerced into making an adult film by an ex-boyfriend — and almost becoming a teen mom, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Kelly, 42, shared her tragic journey to fame in her new memoir, Tell Me Everything.
Before she played an All-American cheerleader on the hit series Friday Night Lights, Kelly said she endured traumatic abuse by those closest to her. Kelly was raised by her single mother, Maureen, who worked as an exotic dancer and struggled with substance abuse.
When Maureen left Albuquerque, New Mexico, after being tipped off about a potential drug bust, Kelly — who was 17 at the time — moved in with her then-boyfriend Rudy and his family. While the move was intended to provide a safe place for her after being abandoned by her mom, Kelly alleged she suffered more abuse.
Kelly claimed that when she lived with Rudy, he forced her to pose for graphic photos. The pictures were so explicit that the actress recalled being told, "We don’t print pictures like that," by a Walgreens photo department worker.
The actress claimed that her ex-boyfriend purchased a video camera — and coerced Kelly to perform "raunchier" scenes.
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Days after she was forced to film the movie, she rewatched the tape — and was stunned by how child-like she was.
"I hardly even remembered making the tape," Kelly recalled. "I’d become such a master at leaving my body when things were uncomfortable."
Kelly noted that years later when she reached celebrity status, Rudy tried to sell the footage. Kelly paid her ex $50,000 to buy it back.
The allegedly abusive relationship with Rudy did not stop there — and Kelly was left with a permanent reminder of that period in her life.
After she was made to pose for his graphic photos and videos, Rudy told Kelly he wanted her to get a tattoo of his name.
Under pressure to keep a roof over her head, Kelly reluctantly agreed. The two settled on a print of Kelly's lips, which she had marked "on the side of my pubic mound."
"Little did I know I’d spend the rest of my life explaining to new lovers what the mark was, lying to everyone … I was too ashamed to admit the truth," Kelly said of the tattoo. "I’d been so dependent on a man I’d let him brand me as [if] I was a member of the NXIVM cult."
Kelly later found out she was pregnant.
Kelly wrote that Rudy tried to talk her into being intimate with a mutual female friend — and when she refused, Rudy and the woman had sex in front of her. The next day, Kelly found out she was pregnant.
The actress recalled her mother coming back to Albuquerque and the two going to Planned Parenthood together, where she cried on the exam table. Her mother offered to help raise the child with her daughter.
"Raise this baby together, how?" Kelly said of the suggestion. "With what money? What home? What insurance? I couldn’t imagine bringing a baby into what my mother brought me into. Absolutely not."
Kelly had an abortion and left New Mexico for Los Angeles, where she worked until landing her breakthrough role with Friday Night Lights.