March 12, 2009
Talk Queens Protest Abuse
Oprah Winfrey and Tyra Banks are some of the most powerful women in media -- and they're weighing in on the national epidemic of domestic violence.
Since the altercation between controversial couple Rihanna and Chris Brown, stars have spoken out against violence. "The message this story sends is disturbing and is also dangerous," Oprah says of the couple, who has reunited since their allegedly violent showdown.
Tyra Banks teamed up with Oprah to talk about teen violence and abusive relationships on "Oprah" -- where Banks admitted that she was the victim of emotional abuse. "He never hit me," Banks said, "There were blows to my spirit."
The supermodel-turned-talk queen also opened up about Chris Brown, who revealed the trauma of seeing his mom abused by his stepfather during a 2007 trip to Tyra's show. "He was so scarred by it that he would wet the bed," said Tyra. During the taping of the 2007 episode, Brown said, "I don't want to put a woman through the same thing that person put my mom through."
Banks confessed that she revisited the interview when reports about Brown abusing Rihanna came out. "I went back to that interview and I said, 'Oh my god, he's repeating it.'"
Brown faces a judge again April 6.
