Warning: This article contains information that some readers may find distressing or upsetting.
Mackenzie Phillips has spoken out about her alleged 10-year incestuous relationship with her own father.
Phillips, 64, is perhaps best known for her roles in the sitcom One Day at a Time, Orange Is the New Black, and movies like American Graffiti.
She is also the daughter of The Mamas & the Papas frontman John Phillips - a band known for their hit singles 'California Dreamin'' and 'Monday, Monday'.
Recently, Mackenzie sat down with her sister Chynna - known for being one-third of the pop group Wilson Phillips - to discuss her tumultuous relationship with her father.
Speaking as part of a sit-down conversation for Chynna's YouTube channel, Mackenzie shared further information about their father, who she described as having "a very dark side".
In 2009, Mackenzie claimed in her 2009 memoir, High On Arrival, that on the eve of her wedding to Jeff Sessler in 1979, she and her father engaged in narcotics after he arrived "determined to stop" the nuptials.
At the time, Mackenzie was 19 years old and struggled with substance abuse.
"I had tons of pills, and Dad had tons of everything too. Eventually, I passed out on Dad’s bed," she alleged, via PEOPLE. She then claimed that when she woke up, she was being raped by her father.
"Had this happened before? I didn’t know. All I can say is it was the first time I was aware of it," she said at the time. Following this abusive incident, Mackenzie revealed that she entered into a alleged 1o-year incestuous relationship with her dad. She told Oprah Winfrey in a subsequent interview that the relationship was "consensual" - describing it as a "sort of Stockholm syndrome".
Their relationship ended when Mackenzie claimed that she became pregnant and was unsure of who the father was. The doubts led her to have an abortion.
Now, speaking to her sister, Mackenzie revealed that she has been trolled online for "having forgiveness in her heart" - but clarified that her forgiveness did not mean she agreed with her father's alleged abusive actions.
Chynna described their father as one of her "favorite individuals in the whole wide world" and an "amazing songwriter" - to which, Mackenzie professed that he was a "Genius".
"I loved his laugh. Yet there was this whole other side to Dad that was kind of, like, monster," Chynna then added.
Mackenzie agreed, adding: "He was so dark, and you just didn't know who you were going to get... it was very unpredictable."
The sisters then spoke about how Chynna stood by her sister after Mackenzie went public about her relationship with their father.
"When I stood by you, I meant it with all my heart," Chynna said. "And I believed you and I want you to know that I was proud of you for coming out, even though it was painful for everybody."
"Dad was something else. And I get a lot of criticism and a lot of trolling online for having forgiveness in my heart," Mackenzie said. "Forgiving is for me, not the other person. And forgiving doesn't mean that I co-sign or agree with what I'm forgiving you for, or him for. It's very complicated. It's very, very complicated. And yet, I am at peace."
The Orange Is The New Black star then added that, following her making the news public, it took a "long time" before her family could come "back together".
The sisters then remembered how they were once listed as one of "the top 10 most dysfunctional Hollywood families in America"
Mackenzie now works as a substance use counselor.
If you or someone you know is battling addiction, please reach out for help and contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (1-800-662-4357) or go to https://findtreatment.gov/
Additionally, if you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or rainn.org in the US, or contact rapecrisis.org.uk or call 0808 500 2222 in the UK.
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