Terry Crews expresses his gratitude to the women of the #MeToo movement for giving him the courage to come forward. The actor alleged that Hollywood executive Adam Venit allegedly groped him at a party back in 2016. His allegations are regarded as a breakthrough for the movement.

Speaking at a panel in the 25th annual Essence Festival celebrating black culture, Crews said:

“One thing that people don’t understand about the #MeToo movement is that people think that people come forward to get money, people come forward to get fame. The deal is you only get paid for silence,” said the actor. “It’s so important to understand that when people are telling the truth, it’s a way of setting free a whole nation of people who have been suffering.”

“When the women of the #MeToo movement came forward, I viewed that like a hole in the fence. I watched those women escape and I ran right after them. That is when I came public. With the inspiration and from the courage they showed, actually gave me the courage to come forward with my story,” Crews added.

Crews also revealed why it was so difficult to speak out about his experience.

“I didn’t go public right away. I gave them time to rectify the situation. I wanted them to get rid of this man,” said Crews. “This was pre-#MeToo, if I would have gone to the police, I would have been laughed out of the precinct. This was also a time when people believed that you as a man couldn’t be sexually assaulted. It was impossible to get anyone to believe.”