Life wasn't always so successful for music business royal Kara DioGuardi. It seems nowadays that behind every success story is a troubled past, and Kara is one of them. With her new memoir coming out April 26 A Helluva High Note, she reveals that she was molested as a child and date raped...
At the early age of 11, Kara recalls being molested repeatedly by a family friend's son who was in his late teens. "On one particular day, he took me into the back shed of his house and put his hands all over my breasts and vagina. I remember freezing and not knowing what to do," she said.
In 2000 just as her career started to bloom, a popular producer date raped her after a "friendly dinner." She reveals, "[W]ithin a few hours, he was on top of me, pumping, sweating, and speaking to me in Spanish, not a word of which I could understand." After telling him to stop continuously, she held back from fighting him since he might turn violent on her; she also didn't want to ruin her career by telling anyone.
Then a few years after that incident, she was sexually harassed by a "successful artist" amid a three day songwriting trip. But Kara found her and the man "...watching Russian porn, scavenging around the kitchen for food [and] leering at two strippers...as they performed sex acts in the living room." She continued working with the artist because she didn't want this getting in the way with her job and talent. Her work with him officially ended when he chased her in the basement of his home and forced her hands on his privates.
It's difficult to hear the rough past many successful people, especially women had to go through to get to the top of their careers. Kara DioGuardi is an example of a strong woman who has never stopped doing what she was passionate for, despite being taken advantage of by her male counterparts. Though it took her awhile to admit to her abuse, the important thing is that she did it now. Using her fame in the music industry can help spread awareness and a common ground to those going through the same difficulties in their lives. Catch Kara DioGuardi's new show Platinum Hit premiering on Bravo May 30.
You Just Do You, Imma Do Me
