Dax Shepard Reveals He Was Molested As A Child

Parenthood star Dax Shepard revealed that he was sexually abused as a child on an episode of Sirius XM's The Jason Ellis Show. Shepard, 41, told radio host Jason Ellis about how an 18-year-old neighbor had molested him when he was seven years old, the L.A. Times reports. He told Ellis—who has himself spoken in the past about being molested by his father—that it was "minimal" compared to Ellis' own accounts, but "even at that, it took me 12 years to tell anyone that."

"…I was like, a) 'It's my fault,' as generic as that is, I'm like, 'It's my fault, and I'm gay, I must have manifested this because I'm secretly gay.' I had all these insane thoughts for 11 years or 12 years," he said.

He said he later struggled with alcohol and drug abuse, and only learned recently from his mother, who works with foster children, that children who are molested stand a 20% chance of developing addiction issues later in life.

Shepard has been sober since 2004. He is married to actress Kristen Bell, with whom he has two children, ages 3 and 1.