Violence is more than an issue in America. It is a pandemic, its negative impacts and corrosive character are harming us whether we are a victim, a bystander or professional tasked with public health and safety. Violence affects us regardless of class or social standing. For decades, celebrities and well-known public figures have taken to the media to share their own experiences with violence.
This book spotlights the celebrities and their loved ones who have survived self-harm, bullying, intimate partner violence, sexual assault, family abuse, home invasion, gun violence, or police brutality. Violence prevention experts increasingly recognize the influence of celebrities and work with them to spread awareness. This collection of case studies aims to support this growing influence by documenting the effects of violence prevention through celebrity advocacy.

Truman R. Keys is a professor in the Department of Communication and Media Arts at the midtown Danbury campus of Western Connecticut State University. He researches intercultural communication and public health, with multi-year projects addressing the implications of identity on self-disclosure. He lives in Bristol, Connecticut.

Truman R. Keys
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 268
Bibliographic Info: 8 photos, bibliographies, index
Copyright Date: 2022
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7755-2
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4559-9
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Preface 1
Introduction: Celebrity Messages Matter 3
1. Celebrity Suicides and ­Self-Directed Forms of Violence 27
2. Rihanna Survives Intimate Partner Violence 57
3. Overcoming the Trauma of Family Violence: Celebrity Encounters with Abusive Fathers 85
4. Bullied Disney Channel Alumnae Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, and Zendaya Fight Back 109
5. Jennifer Hudson and Gun Violence 137
6. Home Invasion and Celebrities Who Lived to Talk About It 155
7. “No” to Sexual Misconduct: #MeToo and #TimesUp Campaigns in Hollywood 171
8. Taboo of Child Sexual Abuse and Celebrities Who Refuse to Remain Quiet 193
9. “Star” Athletes Use Videos of Their Arrests to Reveal Police Brutality 209
10. A Tale of Two Cities and the Effects of Community Violence on Celebrity Natives 231
Index 259