Ashley Judd met her rapist for 'a restorative-justice conversation'

Sam Moore
Updated ·2-min read
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 24: Actress and activist Ashley Judd speaks during the 29th annual Conference of the Professional Businesswomen of California (PBWC) on April 24, 2018 in San Francisco, California. The PBWC is a day of keynote speakers and seminars by top female leaders and panels of industry experts. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Ashley Judd has spoke about meeting with her rapist. (Getty Images)

Ashley Judd has revealed that she tracked down and spoke with her rapist.

Speaking to the Healing with David Kessler podcast, Judd talked about the healing process following the sexual assault.

The actor, best known for her roles in Heat and Double Jeopardy, said: “It was crazy-making because I knew better. I was very clear, my boundaries were intact.

"I was already an empowered, adult feminist woman. And that this could happen under these circumstances was unconscionable [and] unforeseen.”

Read more: Ashley Judd slams 'everyday sexism' after Airport Security ordeal

She then went on to discuss meeting with her rapist: “I tried to find him and he surfaced very easily, and to make a long story short, we ended up in rocking chairs sitting by a creek together.

"And I said, ‘I’m very interested in hearing the story you’ve carried all these years.’ And we had a restorative-justice conversation about that."

Portrait of actress Ashley Judd as she poses in a t-shirt which reads 'This Is What A Feminist Looks Like', Chicago, Illinois, December 5, 2002. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
Ashley Judd as she poses in a t-shirt which reads 'This Is What A Feminist Looks Like', 2002. (Paul Natkin/Getty Images)

Judd added: “I didn’t need anything from him, and it was just gravy that he made his amends and expressed his deep remorse, because healing from grief is an inside job.”

Judd has previously described herself as a three time rape survivor and said that one of the assaults resulted in her becoming pregnant.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 11: Actress Ashley Judd speaks onstage during the 'Feminism: A Battlefield Report' session at the 10th Anniversary Women In The World Summit - Day 2 at David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on April 11, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Ashley Judd accused Harvey Weinstein of harassing her in the 1990's. (Getty Images)

She has also said that she had an abortion as a result of the rape and recently praised being able to have access to an abortion: “I’m very thankful I was able to access safe and legal abortion because that rapist, who’s a Kentuckian – as am I, and I reside in Tennessee – has paternity rights in Kentucky and Tennessee. I would’ve had to co-parent with a rapist.”

Judd has also been outspoken about Harvey Weinstein and subsequently sued the former movie producer for sexual harassment and defamation. Weinstein denied defaming Judd.

In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support for rape and sexual abuse on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland.

Watch below: Ashley Judd met with her rapist to help heal her 'grief'.

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