The Valley star Janet Caperna opened up to Bravo fans, disclosing her past experience with sexual assault in a candid message.
In an Instagram post shared on Wednesday, July 8, Janet, 36, expressed her vulnerability, stating, “I want to be really transparent because today it really hit me that what I shared is going to be out in the world to be judged, talked about and picked apart.” She continued, “Something I spent my childhood trying to escape and run away from is now out there on millions of screens to be digested and I fear that the thing I desperately ran away from and didn’t want attached to me will now follow me forever, everywhere I go.”
Despite having “months to prepare” for the public revelation, Janet admitted she struggled to discuss the experience with her family and friends beforehand.
“Many people I know, love and trust will hear my story for the first time on a reality TV show instead of directly from me. And I’m sorry to those that had to hear it this way,” she continued in her message. “Making my planned round of calls and telling people in person proved more than I could handle. I chickened out. I didn’t want to take a beautiful day and darken it with my trauma.”
Janet expressed her anxiety about how her story “will be shared and talked about” in the public sphere.
She wrote, “Today it really hit me that this is real and as much as I wish I could stuff the words back in my mouth and deal with the pain that keeping it all in caused me since I was 12 years old, what’s done is done,” adding that she spent the day unable to move.
In Wednesday’s episode of The Valley, Janet sat down with Lala Kent to discuss her previous allegation against costar Danny Booko, who she accused of sexually assaulting Jasmine Goode and her girlfriend, Melissa Marie.
Admitting she should have chosen her words more carefully, Janet explained to Lala, 35, that Danny’s alleged actions triggered memories of her own past trauma.
“When I was in school, I had a situation happen with another boy … put his hands on me,” Janet recounted during the episode. “And I just pretended like it was some sort of, like, consensual hookup. In reality, it was not.”
Janet revealed that she was unfairly blamed and labeled “a whore,” while the boy involved faced no consequences for the pain and trauma inflicted on her.
Janet Caperna clarified her role on The Valley, denying she and her husband Jason Caperna were cast because of her admiration for Scheana. “I went up to her and was like, ‘You’re Scheana [Shay] from Vanderpump, let’s take a picture.’ We ended up spending the entire day talking,” Janet, 35, explained.
About a year ago, Janet’s therapist informed her that what she had experienced was sexual assault.
“I didn’t fight him off or push him away. I just froze and let this thing happen to me,” she shared. “It was a lot to process.”
In her Instagram post, she further elaborated on the experience.
“I dealt with what happened that night in the dark under the fluorescent lights of school for years in the form of name calling, relentless bullying and judgment,” Janet explained. “For me, that was worse than the act itself.”
Concluding her Instagram post, Janet offered words of support to fellow survivors of sexual assault.
“Please know that on your hardest days, you are not alone. And I can’t help but think how unfortunate that is,” she expressed. “That so many people share this pain and experience. That others have days like today where they feel paralyzed and debilitating pain because of another person’s violating actions.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
