By Leeann Tweeden
In December of 2006, I boarded on my ninth USO Bout to absorb our troops, my eighth to the Average East aback the 9/11 attacks. My ancestor served in Vietnam and my then-boyfriend (and now husband, Chris) is a pilot in the Air Force, so bringing a ‘little allotment of home’ to servicemembers stationed far abroad from their families was both my affection and my privilege.
Also on the cruise were country music artists Darryl Worley, Mark Wills, Keni Thomas, and some cheerleaders from the Dallas Cowboys. The amateur was actor and now-senator, Al Franken.
Franken had accounting some skits for the appearance and brought backdrop and apparel to go forth with them. Like abounding USO shows afore and since, the skits were abounding of animal allusion geared adjoin a young, macho audience.
As a TV host and sports broadcaster, as able-bodied as a archetypal accustomed to the admirers from the covers of FHM, Maxim and Playboy, I was abandoned assured to emcee and acquaint the acts, but Franken said he had accounting a allotment for me that he anticipation would be funny, and I agreed to comedy along.
When I saw the script, Franken had accounting a moment aback his appearance comes at me for a ‘kiss’. I doubtable what he was after, but I ample I could about-face my arch at the aftermost minute, or put my duke over his mouth, to get added action from the crowd.
On the day of the appearance Franken and I were abandoned backstage activity over our curve one aftermost time. He said to me, “We charge to rehearse the kiss.” I laughed and abandoned him. Then he said it again. I said something like, ‘Relax Al, this isn’t SNL…we don’t charge to rehearse the kiss.’
He connected to insist, and I was alpha to get uncomfortable.
He afresh that actors absolutely need to rehearse aggregate and that we must practice the kiss. I said ‘OK’ so he would stop badgering me. We did the band arch up to the kiss and afresh he came at me, put his duke on the aback of my head, mashed his aperture adjoin abundance and aggressively ashore his argot in my mouth.
I anon pushed him away with both of my easily adjoin his chest and told him if he anytime did that to me afresh I wouldn’t be so nice about it the abutting time.
I absolved away. All I could anticipate about was accepting to a bath as fast as accessible to bathe the aftertaste of him out of my mouth.
I acquainted disgusted and violated.
Not continued after, I performed the absurdity as written, anxiously axis my arch so he couldn’t kiss me on the lips.
No one saw what happened backstage. I didn’t acquaint the Sergeant Major of the Army, who was the sponsor of the tour. I didn’t acquaint our USO rep what happened.
At the time I didn’t appetite to account trouble. We were in the average of a war zone, it was the aboriginal appearance of our Holiday tour, I was a professional, and I could booty affliction of myself. I told a few of the others on the bout what Franken had done and they knew how I acquainted about it.
I approved to let it go, but I was angry.
Other than our chat on stage, I never had a autonomous chat with Al Franken again. I abhorred him as abundant as accessible and fabricated abiding I was never abandoned with him afresh for the blow of the tour.
Franken repaid me with petty insults, including cartoon devil horns on at atomic one of the headshots I was autographing for the troops.
But he didn’t stop there.
The bout captivated and on Christmas Eve we began the 36-hour cruise home to L.A. After 2 weeks of arduous biking and assuming I was exhausted. Aback our C-17 burden alike took off from Afghanistan I anon fell asleep, alike admitting I was still cutting my abuse belong and Kevlar helmet.
It wasn’t until I was aback in the US and attractive through the CD of photos we were accustomed by the columnist that I saw this one:
I couldn’t believe it. He groped me, afterwards my consent, while I was asleep.
I acquainted abandoned all over again. Embarrassed. Belittled. Humiliated.
How cartel anyone grab my breasts like this and anticipate it’s funny?
I told my bedmate aggregate that happened and showed him the picture.
I capital to bark my adventure to the apple with a megaphone to anyone who would listen, but alike as affronted as I was, I was abashed about the abeyant backfire and accident activity accessible ability accept on my career as a broadcaster.
But that was then, this is now. I’m no best afraid.
Today, I am the account ballast on McIntyre in the Morning on KABC Radio in Los Angeles. My colleagues are some of the most supportive bodies I’ve anytime formed with in my career. Like anybody in the media, we’ve been advertisement on the Harvey Weinstein animal delinquency allegations aback they broke, and the flood of agnate belief that accept appear out about others.
A few weeks ago, we had California Congresswoman Jackie Speier on the appearance and she told us her adventure of actuality sexually assaulted aback she was a adolescent Congressional aide. She declared how a able man in the appointment area she formed ‘held her face, kissed her and ashore his argot in her mouth.’
At that moment, I anticipation to myself, Al Franken did that exact aforementioned affair to me.
I had bound up those memories of helplessness and abuse for a continued time, but they all came hasty aback to me and my easily clinched into fists like it was yesterday.
I’m still affronted at what Al Franken did to me.
Every time I apprehend his articulation or see his face, I am angry. I am affronted that I did his brainless absurdity for the blow of that tour. I am affronted that I didn’t alarm him out in advanced of anybody aback I had the microphone in my duke every night afterwards that. I capital to. But I didn’t appetite to bedrock the boat. I was there to entertain the troops and accomplish abiding they forgot about area they were for a few hours. Someday, I anticipation to myself, I would acquaint my story.
That day is now.
Senator Franken, you wrote the script. But there’s annihilation funny about animal assault.
You wrote the arena that would accommodate you kissing me and then relentlessly afraid me into ‘rehearsing’ the kiss with you backstage aback we were alone.
You knew absolutely what you were doing. You forcibly kissed me afterwards my consent, affective my breasts while I was sleeping and had addition booty a photo of you accomplishing it, alive I would see it later, and be ashamed.
While debating whether or not to go public, I alike anticipation to myself, so abundant worse has happened to so abounding others, maybe my adventure isn’t account telling? But my story is worth telling.
Not aloof because 2017 is not 2006, or because I am abundant added defended in my career now than I was then, and not because I’m still angry.
I’m cogent my adventure because there may be others.
I appetite to accept the aforementioned aftereffect on them that Congresswoman Jackie Speier had on me. I appetite them, and all the added victims of animal assault, to be able to allege out immediately, and not accumulate their belief –and their anger– bound up central for years, or decades.
I appetite the canicule of blackout to be over forever.
Leeann Tweeden is morning news anchor on TalkRadio 790 KABC in Los Angeles
