Source: Gilbert Carrasquillo / Getty
Jennifer Hough, the woman who accused Nicki Minaj’s husband, Kenneth Petty, of rape, subsequently leading him to plead guilty and serving four years in prison, is breaking her silence.
Wednesday (Sep.22), Hough, alongside her lawyer Tyrone Blackburn appeared on The Real to speak about the alleged harassment she endured from Nicki Minaj and Kenneth Petty. Hough has filed a lawsuit against the couple, accusing them of harassment and intimidation. When asked by host Garcelle Beauvais why she decided to speak up about the situation, Hough said:
“I’m tired of being afraid. I feel like the actions that were taken in regards to this whole situation have put me in a different type of fear at my age now, and it was wrong. And I don’t want to be afraid anymore. So, the only way not to be afraid is to continue to speak up.”
When asked by Beauvais if she felt if justice was served due to the fact Petty serving four years for first-degree rape? Hough explained she didn’t consider it justice but continued to blame herself for what happened, revealing that even though he went to prison, she still had to leave her family.
“I don’t think I thought about justice, per se, because I was still blaming myself. I thought it was something that I did or didn’t do, so I don’t think I thought about if I got justice. I just knew he did what he did, and he went to jail, and I had to leave my family, I had to leave my home and I had to move away. So, I never really gave it much thought.”
Beauvais’ cohost, Adrienne Houghton, asked Hough how the situation affected her over the years? She replied “In so many ways. Hiding, within myself. Living and surviving through insecurities. Using them to protect myself, thinking that if I don’t look a certain way, I won’t attract a certain type of attention. I’ve been like that my whole life.”
Beauvais followed up, asking Hough what was her first thoughts when she found out Minaj was marrying Petty? She replied “I was so afraid of being found out. I was so afraid of being known as the person he violated, and I didn’t want that. You know, it’s Nicki Minaj.”
The conversation finally shifted to the alleged harassment she was dealing with from the couple. Hough shared with The Real’s host that she did speak with Minaj directly. “I did. In March of 2020. She called me, and she said that she got word that I was willing to help them out in a situation,” she revealed. “I didn’t understand what she was referring to. She offered to fly me and my family to LA. I turned it down. And I told her, woman to woman, this really happened. And I hadn’t spoken to her since.”
When detailing the harassment, Hough explained that the couple was “sending people to negotiate numbers as far as money is concerned with family members, and Nicki is the one who personally reached out to me, in regards to helping her, helping them in this situation. And then the threats that I received because I kept saying no to every offer, to every suggestion. The last incident was when one of their associates put $20,000 on my lap. And I still kept saying no. The last message I received was that I should have taken the money because they’re going to use that money to put on my head.”
When asked by Houghton what it is she wants from the lawsuit, Hough explains she wants Minaj and Petty to “know that they were wrong. You can’t do this to people. You shouldn’t do this to people. He did something a long time ago, and he had consequences that he was supposed to stick with,” she begins. “What they did to me and my family wasn’t ok. It wasn’t right, and it doesn’t matter how much money you have. It doesn’t matter what your status is, you can’t intimidate people to make things go better for you. And that’s what they did. I want my daughters to know that as they grow, as they experience life as they come in contact with friends, family, strangers, whatever, that they’ll have the strength to know that they have a voice, and they should use it. And don’t ever let anybody try to silence them.”
The couple will have more things to worry about than Minaj’s cousin’s friend and his swollen testicles.
Petty is currently awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty for failing to register as a sex offender in California. Petty was arrested on the charge in March 2020 and initially pleaded not guilty. Federal court documents revealed he eventually to agreed to a plea deal in August 2021, formally entering the guilty plea. He will learn his fate on Monday, January 24, 2022.
You can catch Hough speaking on Minaj and Petty’s alleged shenanigans in full on The Real today at 11 am ET.
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Photo: Gilbert Carrasquillo / Getty
Jennifer Hough, Kenneth Petty’s Alleged Sexual Assault Victim Breaks Her Silence On ‘The Real’ was originally published on hiphopwired.com
