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On July 16, Glee star Blake Jenner was arrested and charged with DUI. Jenner allegedly failed to stop at a red light sign, which led to police asking him to pull over. The actor was later arrested on a misdemeanor DUI.
However, the incident put a spotlight on his failed marriage with Supergirl’s Melissa Benoist who had opened up about being abused in their relationship.
Exploring the allegations made by Melissa Benoist against ex-husband Blake Jenner
In 2019, Blake Jenner’s ex-wife Melissa Benoist, who tied the knot with him in 2015 had revealed that she was a domestic violence survivor. In an emotional Instagram video, Melissa stated that she had endured months of abuse from her former partner.
In the video, she said:
“I am a survivor of domestic violence or IPV (intimate partner violence), which is something I never in my life expected I would say, let alone be broadcasting into the ether."
While Benoist didn't name her alleged abuser, she described him as a “magnanimous person, who didn’t really give you a choice not to be drawn to him.” The 33-year-old actress also noted that the person "could be charming, funny, manipulative, devious.”
She added:
“For a period of time, I wasn’t interested. I was newly single, gaining my bearing in a period of change in my life, making dumb decisions…But in the midst of that, he became a friend. A friend that made me laugh and made me feel less alone, made me feel special and worthwhile, and then once we started dating, it was a zero to 60 catapult… He loved me. I thought I loved him, and I was going to make it work.”
The actress also claimed that the abuse wasn't initially violent, but the abuser later began attacking her privacy by keeping a check on her electronic devices. The abuser would also force her to change certain clothes when she left their house.
The actress added that "work, in general, was a touchy subject" for her abuser and claimed:
“He didn’t want me ever kissing or even having flirtatious scenes with men, which was very hard for me to avoid, so I began turning down auditions, job offers, test deals, and friendships because I didn’t want to hurt him.”
Blake Jenner's indirect reply to the allegations
On October 9, 2020, Blake Jenner posted on Instagram and indirectly addressed Benoist's allegations. In the statement, the actor took “full responsibility” of his actions and mentioned:
“I take full responsibility and accountability for the hurt that I inflicted during my relationship with my past partner — emotionally, mentally and yes, physically.”
Blake Jenner also stated that in one of the incidents, he had thrown his phone aimlessly which hit his former partner "in her face." He said:
"I froze in a state of shock and horror as my then-partner screamed in anguish, her eye immediately swollen shut from the impact of the phone. It’s a moment that I will regret for the rest of my life."
In a 2019 Instagram post, Benoist described being hit in the face with an electronic device. She said that the impact of the phone "tore my iris, nearly ruptured my eyeball, lacerated my skin and broke my nose."
Further, Blake Jenner also noted that he wanted to “better” himself and “will never regress to making the same mistakes ever again.”
After he was booked for the DUI, Jenner was summoned to appear in court at a later date that has yet to be disclosed.
