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About UsAdvertiseInvestor RelationsJobsNewslettersEditionUSUKAustraliaBrasilCanadaDeutschlandIndiaJapanLatamCalifornia residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data.Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2021 BuzzFeed, Inc PressRSSPrivacyConsent PreferencesUser TermsAccessibility StatementAd ChoicesHelpContactSitemapBuzzFeed NewsReporting on what you care about. We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing.BuzzFeed TastySearch, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place!BuzzFeed GoodfulSelf care and ideas to help you live a healthier, happier life.BuzzFeed Bring MeObsessed with travel? Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me!BuzzFeed As IsSomething for everyone interested in hair, makeup, style, and body positivity.Celebrity·Posted 11 minutes agoJoshua Bassett Opened Up About Facing Sexual Abuse As A Child And Teenager
"I buried it so far."
by Natasha JokicBuzzFeed Staff
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Content warning: Discussion of sexual abuse.
Joshua Bassett spoke about being sexually abused as a child and teenager in a new profile with GQ.
Slaven Vlasic / Getty Images
"I experienced sexual abuse a lot in my childhood,” he began, reportedly tearing up. “I didn't remember that until last year, which is pretty insane. I buried it so far."
Amy Sussman / Getty Images for Nickelodeon
"And when I was a teen, a much older man routinely abused me, and I wasn't able to see it for what it was at the time," he continued.
Gregg DeGuire / Stringer / Getty Images
Joshua then said that he explored part of processing this trauma in his new song "Set Me Free," which he called, “An anthem for me and the sort of people who’ve held pain and power over me my whole life.”
Genius / Via genius.com
The proceeds will go to mental health organizations.
The 20-year-old also added that he wants to launch a podcast discussing the experience that will “hopefully help people who are experiencing that” and serve as “the podcast that I wish I had when I was a kid.”
Frazer Harrison / Getty Images
Currently, Joshua is in therapy twice a week and described crying almost daily as "great." He added that he is now “so much stronger than I was before” but that "people haven't seen me as a human being" for the past year.
Amy Sussman / WireImage / Getty Images
You can read the full profile with GQ here.
If you are concerned that a child is experiencing or may be in danger of abuse, you can call or text the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-2253 (4.A.CHILD); service can be provided in over 140 languages.
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