Mackenzie Phillips: Relationship With My Father Was Not Consensual

By PopEater Staff Posted Feb 3rd 2010 07:28AM

Mackenzie Phillips is now claiming that the incestuous relationship she had with her father, The Mamas & The Papas singer John Phillips, was not consensual. During Tuesday's taping of HLN's 'Joy Behar Show,' Phillips rescinds her previous claims. "I'd like to reframe my word consensual," Phillips said. "As I was writing the book, I thought, this word, it kept sitting wrong with me. But I used it for lack of a better word. Since then, I've been schooled by thousands of incest survivors all across the world that there really is no such thing as consensual incest due to the inherent power a parent has over a child."

"I wouldn't necessarily call it a consensual relationship at this time," she adds. Dr. Drew also appeared during her interview, and he agreed that incest cannot be consensual.

"The child is trying to make sense of this situation she feels as though the only she can survive it is by saying, 'I'm creating it, I have some power in this, I'm consenting to it,'" Dr. Drew said. "When the fact is, the kind of relationship a parent has with a child makes consent actually impossible."

The 'One Day at a Time' star wrote in her book that she had sex with her father the night before she was to marry Jeff Sessler, a member of the Rolling Stones entourage, in 1979.

"On the eve of my wedding, my father showed up, determined to stop it," wrote Phillips, who was 19 at the time and a heavy drug user. "I had tons of pills, and Dad had tons of everything too. Eventually I passed out on Dad's bed."

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,entry&id=827402&pid=827401&uts=1265201287

http://www.popeater.com/mm_track/popeater/movies/?s_channel=us.moviespop&s_account=aolpopeater,aolsvc&omni=1&ke=1

http://cdn.channel.aol.com/cs_feed_v1_6/csfeedwrapper.swf

Tell All Celebrity Books

Actress Mackenzie Phillips dropped the father of all bombshells - she admits to a long-term sexual affair with her own dad, Mamas and the Papas singer John Phillips, who died in 2001.

Jeffrey Mayer, WireImage

Celebrity Tell-All Books

Actress Mackenzie Phillips dropped the father of all bombshells - she admits to a long-term sexual affair with her own dad, Mamas and the Papas singer John Phillips, who died in 2001.

Celebrity Tell-All Books

Former tennis player Andre Agassi drops a bombshell in his new memoir 'Open': he was a regular meth user in the late '90s.

Celebrity Tell-All Books

Mackenzie Phillips reveals details of a sexual relationship with her late father, Mamas and Papas singer John Phillips, in her 'High on Arrival.'

Celebrity Tell-All Books

In his new memoir 'The Making of Some Like It Hot,' actor Tony Curtis claims that Marilyn Monroe became pregnant with his child during an affair and later miscarried.

Celebrity Tell-All Books

'Little House on the Prairie' star Melissa Gilbert's tell-all memoir accused actress Shannen Doherty of breaking up Gilbert's marriage to Bo Brinkman - when Shannen was just a teen.

Celebrity Tell-All Books

'Brady Bunch' child star Maureen McCormick revealed her troubled past in 'Here's The Story,' including a serious addiction to cocaine and Quaaludes, bouts of depression and bulimia, and an on-again, off-again romantic relationship with her on-screen brother Barry Williams.

Celebrity Tell-All Books

George Hamilton make some shocking revelations in 'Don't Mind if I Do' - like the claim that he lost his virginity at age 12... to his stepmother. He wrote that the pair rekindled their sexual relationship years later, after the death of his father.

Celebrity Tell-All Books

James Frey sold 'A Million Little Pieces' as a memoir, and while the book was filled with brutal tales of addiction and degradation, the real shocker was that 'A Million Little Pieces' wasn't actually a true story.

Celebrity Tell-All Books

In his book 'Growing Up Brady,' Barry Williams claimed to have gone on a date with TV-mom Florence Henderson and to have hooked up with his 'Brady Bunch' sister, Maureen McCormick. Happily-married Henderson has publicly clarified their date, saying that regardless of Williams' romantic feelings, their outing was platonic to her.

Celebrity Tell-All Books

America's darling Mary Tyler Moore admitted a years-long battle with alcoholism in her 1996 tell-all 'After All.'

Celebrity Tell-All Books

Tags: mackenzie phillips, MackenziePhillips

Comments

(66)

Wednesday 03 February

By leroy

Lowest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

She knows she was always daddys little girl.UH UH UH YEAHHHH DOGG !! FIRSTTTT..WHAT ?? WHAT ??

By loreli47

Ridiculous. Unbelievable that she would humiliate her family in this way just to keep her name out there. If I were her mother she would definitely be out of the will. Some people don't care how they hurt others for their own gain. "Do unto others".

By Sue

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Two reasons incest surviviors are reluctant to "tell" is shame and they don't think they will be believed. I believe her.

By CHAD

You are kidding right? You think she owes her mother anything? Her FATHER was having sex with her! Her MOTHER did nothing to stop it! Embarrass her family? Where was her family when she needed support? She is the victim her jacktard!

By Kim

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

You people putting Mackenzie down are out of your mind....you better thank God you were never put in her situation. Some dads convince their little girls that everything is okay. Or, in my situation, my mothers second husband, whom I still can't stand to call my step-father because NO MAN DESERVES TO BE CALLED DAD OR FATHER who puts someone thru this brain washing and fear.

By crazy lady

I have a great deal of sympathy for this woman but I have more sympathy for her family and what they are tolerating - we can only hope that somehow she finds some help!

By terry brignac

McKenzie was old enough when she wrote the book to know what "consensual" means. She has repeated it during many interviews. She consented, even as an adult. Now, after rebuke by the public, concerns of her truthfulness and on the urging by Dr. Drew, she's now changing her story. As a former Child Sex Abuse Investigator, I have major concerns about her truthfulness. Let's face it, in todays world, if you want to sell books, make it as shocking as possible. Sex sells.

By LSG

Did you not read the article. Of coarse she knowes what consensual means. Just because she did not stop it does not mean she consented. Her mental state did not allow her to determine that it was wrong and put a stop to it. If you investigate this type of stuff you should know that the abused don't often associate what is going on as abuse.

By Marla

She knows the definition of consensual but she's saying that it's different for children who have sex with their father. When a child "allows" that to happen it is because it is their parent who wants it. Because that parent has a power over that child and some children just do what their parents want them to do, it was not consensual in the traditional sense of the word.

Saturday 06 February

By darleen

Vote down Vote up Report this

People, wake up and read the law books....in most States, in Canada, in England, in Sweden, in Australia

A CHILD CANNOT CONSENT TO SEXUAL ACTS..THE OVER 18 YR MALE IS GUILTY WHETHER HE BELIEVED SHE CONSENTED OR NOT ...

There is a reason those laws are there..little kids believe their parents and those entrusted to 'care' for them, they are not capable of making educated/mature decisions on sexual relations. IT IS THE ADULT THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SEXUAL CONTACT ..NOT THE CHILD.

Tuesday 16 February

By DEX

Terry, all I can say is thank god you're a FORMER Child Sex Abuse Investigator.

By Gerry

What does she hope to gain by making this tragic experience, if true, public? Shouldn't she be discussing this with her therapist? Does she really believe this will re-vitalize her non-existent career? Show little dignity, Mac!

By judy

HOW many "incest survivors" do you know that started having sex with their father at her age? She was not being held a prisoner by him and forced to have sex. She was not a small child she was an adult and married for cripes sakes. SHe makes me ill.

By Mimi

She was drugged out of her mind...drugs that her father got her addicted to.

By Paula

If she was under the age of 18 and still at home, I would have some sympathy for her. But this started when she was 19, she was an adult and had a voice for herself and could've said "NO". And it went on for 10 years. She didn't tell her husband no when he wanted sex or is that going to be unconsensual now also and she claim her raped her too. Grow up Mackenzie and quit embarrassing your family.

By jim williams

this little has been just will not stop trying to get attention. he dad is dead he can not defend himself so we need to believe a junkie

By pammygirl1

If you haven't been in your father's bed - your opinions aren't all that relevant. When it came out that I was abused for years by my father - the first 'ignorant' question I got was - "Did he force you, beat you?" He didn't. Does that make it better. If you haven't walked a mile in my shoes or MacKenzie's - you should say a prayer of thanks. And if you are all that interested in this topic I suggest you educate yourselves (no one in my family did) - you could read up on the subject and learn of the dynamics. I find the my world (and my sis') spins a little different than those that were brought up in healthy families.

By Tammy

Pam, the difference is when you and I were abused WE were under the age of 18 and still living at home with our abusers. Do you think if my father (or yours) were to have tried to rape us when we were 20 we would have let it happen? No way, I sure as hell would have fought a hell of a lot harder and done more damage than I did when I was 6. There is something about her story that sits wrong with me. The fact that she has changed her story only shows my feelings may be right. Do I feel sorry for her? Absolutely not. The situation may have played out differently than what I have thought but I do believe she knew what she was doing. She was more in control than she is letting on and now that people are talking about it in a not so flattering light she is back pedaling as fast as she can to save face and keep her name in the spotlight. It is even more convenient that she chose to accuse a man who isn't alive to defend himself, God forbid she say anything when he was alive.

I can't entirely agree. My abuse started when I was 12yrs. old. And didn't stop till I ran away at 17yrs. old. However, my father came uninvited to my house when I was 23yrs. old, hundreds of miles away and attempted to resume something. I didn't let him do anything. But I cannot judge what someone else does. I don't know her state of mind. I wasn't doing hard drugs with my father at the time. I know many people can't understand why I would allow this, not tell anyone, not contact the authorities. I can't adequately explain it. I guess that's one of the horrible effects of child abuse. But I think people should be very careful when they decide what they think someone else should do. I don't know what someone else should do - I only know what I do in my life at this time. I am not perfect enough to judge someone else.

By moosh

Enough is enough, If this is the only way you can stay in the spotlight then you are a sorry excuse for a human being. get your life together and stop humiliating your family. You know what, get a real job!!!

Page 1 of 4