A year after Melissa Benoist made an Instagram post about her experiences with domestic violence, Blake Jenner has come forward to confirm that the post was about him and apologize for his actions.

In the video, Benoist describes the multiple ways that she was both emotionally and physically abused by Jenner, including being slapped, choked, dragged against pavement and forced to turn down jobs where men would flirt with her. The relationship culminated in an injury that Benoist couldn’t hide – Jenner threw his iPhone at her, broke her nose, and almost ruptured her eyeball.

Jenner confirms he was the perpetrator of this abuse in his recent Instagram post.

In the post, Jenner includes details of how he abused Benoist, but also how Benoist abused him. The experience of turning down jobs because of jealousy was apparently mutual, and so was the physical abuse.

“Without absolving myself of any responsibility, it is important to understand that there was mental, emotional, and physical abuse inflicted from both ends,” he writes. “I lived so long in shame over certain traumas that I had experienced over the course of my life as well as the pain that I had experienced within this relationship.”

Jenner attributes the root causes of his abuse to the co-dependency and passion of their relationship, as well as his own toxic masculinity, but also writes that he does not wish to make any excuses or fight with Benoist.

“I can unequivocally say that I know who I am and know that I have grown and learned from the mistakes I have made throughout a long period of self-examination and work, but very much understand that I can always learn and continually grow,” he writes. “I hope that by me sharing my story, that it can help people, in some capacity, to reflect, listen, and emerge from the shame and secrecy of abuse.”

Jenner turned the comments on his Instagram post off, but people are responding furiously on Twitter, accusing him of attempting to use Benoist’s new child to bolster up his own fame and gaslighting his ex-wife.

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