We’re Seriously Inspired By ‘Bachelor’ Contestant Caelynn Miller-Keyes Bravery Following Sexual Assault
All 30 contestants from Colton Underwood‘s season of The Bachelor were announced today, but there was one woman, in particular, who stood out. Host Chris Harrison said Colton and Caelynn Miller-Keyes had one of the “most emotional conversations we’ve ever had on the show” — a bold statement for the long-running reality series — and now Life & Style can confirm that it’s likely related to her sexual assault case.
During her sophomore year at Virginia Commonwealth Unversity, Caelynn said she was molested by one of her own friends at his fraternity house. When she called two friends that were at the same fraternity house that night to tell them what had happened, they said they believed they, too, had been assaulted and had no recollection of the events.
The Virginia Commonwealth University PD, where the assault took place, told Life & Style exclusively, “Law enforcement agencies are prohibited from disclosing to the public information that directly or indirectly identifies the victim of any sexual assault without their written consent.”
That said, Caelynn has publically spoken about it before. After being crowned Miss North Carolina 2018, she decided to use her title to speak up against sexual assault, despite her fear of being judged.
2018 MISS USA: Miss North Carolina Caelynn Miller-Keyes (center) at the Miss USA Competition on May 21. (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)
“My whole world was flipped upside down,” she shared during a press conference at the High Point Chamber of Commerce in April.
At the time, a then 22-year-old explained that, just like many of the celebrities in the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, she was terrified to accept what had happened to her. Now, however, she’s dedicating her time to educating both men and women about what to do after they’ve been sexually assaulted, since she didn’t know when it was her turn.
“I didn’t know what you should do when you report, I didn’t know what my rights were, I didn’t know what the process was,” she said. “These are guys that I did YoungLife with, these are guys that went to high schools around me, I knew these guys for years,” she explained.
Chris added of Caelynn, “She goes deep into her life. Easily one of the most emotional and revealing conversations this season. Watch out for Caelynn on a lot of fronts but definitely the conversation and being so vulnerable.”
If you need support, the National Sexual Assault Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-656-4673. You will be connected with a trained staff member in your area. Or visit RAINN.org to chat online one-on-one with a support specialist at any time.
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