The author reveals she was groomed and sexually assaulted at 16 by a man in his mid-20s and kept the experience secret for nearly 30 years. Provoked by Megyn Kelly’s comments that downplayed minors’ victimhood in the Jeffrey Epstein case, she explains why adolescents cannot consent, how grooming exploits emotional vulnerability, and why language that minimizes abuse is dangerous. She urges accountability, offers survivor resources, and shares that trauma-informed therapy helped her begin to heal.
I Was 16 When A Grown Man Groomed And Sexually Assaulted Me — I Kept This Secret For 30 Years
Courtesy of Christina Wyman
There was a moment on Megyn Kelly’s Sirius XM show that stopped me cold: “There’s a difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old, you know?” She went on to suggest that Jeffrey Epstein wasn’t an “actual” pedophile because he favored the “barely legal” type, and repeatedly referred to many of his victims as “young women.”
Hearing that from another woman — a mother, no less — felt like a betrayal. It also pushed me to tell a secret I have carried for nearly three decades.
I was 16 when a man in his mid-20s began grooming me. We met through mutual friends. At first we hung out in groups. He was funny, handsome, and attentive in a way that felt intoxicating. Those group interactions became private phone calls and then an invitation to skip school and meet at his apartment. “You must, must, must not tell anyone,” he warned.
That afternoon marked the end of grooming and the start of sexual assault. I was a high school junior. He was an adult who understood the gravity of what he was doing and insisted on secrecy — proof, to my mind now, that he knew it was wrong. At 16 I wanted to feel seen and loved; he took advantage of that emotional vulnerability and later described himself as my “teacher,” boasting that I was “every man’s fantasy.”
There is no legal or moral category called a “woman” who is still a minor. Sex with a minor is rape, without exception.
Children and adolescents cannot consent to sexual relations with adults for reasons that are both developmental and legal. Harvard Law School notes that because of cognitive and emotional development, children — even adolescents — cannot fully appreciate the nature and consequences of serious decisions. They cannot reliably assess risk or recognize manipulation the way an adult can. My abuser exploited those differences.
Courtesy of Christina Wyman
I have kept this secret for nearly 30 years. It has taken trauma-informed therapy and years of reflection to begin to understand what happened and how it shaped me. My childhood vacillated between normalcy and dysfunction: my parents' marriage ended after years of alcoholism and emotional conflict, and I was navigating the typical chaos of adolescence and my first broken heart. Those conditions made me vulnerable — but they do not excuse what he did. Regardless of how I looked or how mature I appeared, I was a minor and could not consent.
Why This Matters
When public figures use language that minimizes or sanitizes abuse — for example, suggesting that appearing older makes a minor “almost” of age — they normalize the behavior of predators and undermine survivors. That is dangerous. Child sexual abuse and the exploitation of minors are not partisan issues; they are human-rights and public-safety issues. Anyone who uses a platform to make those crimes seem less egregious should be held accountable.
I do not know whether I would have shared this story if not for those recent remarks, but they compelled me to speak. I suspect many others still carry similar secrets because society pressures survivors to feel ashamed even when they are not at fault. Speaking out is not only a personal act of healing — it’s a way to push back against rhetoric that excuses abuse.
If You Need Help
If you or someone you know is experiencing sexual violence, you are not alone. Resources include RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Seeking trauma-informed therapy can help survivors process experiences and reclaim their lives.
About the author: Christina Wyman is a USA Today bestselling author and teacher living in Michigan. Her forthcoming middle-grade novel, Breakout, follows a girl with chronic acne learning to feel comfortable in her own skin; it is available for preorder, including through independent bookstores. Her debut, Jawbreaker, was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2023. Her second novel, Slouch, was recognized as a Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year.
This essay originally appeared on HuffPost in November 2025.
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