Rape is no laughing matter in any situation, but that didn't stop Suzanne Somers and Megyn Kelly from laughing through Somers' account of not always being "awake" when her husband Alan Hamel decides to have sex with her, as reported by Glamour.
Somers appeared on The Today Show to discuss her new book Two's Company. According to its description on Amazon, the book "shows readers how to shape a healthy, lasting relationship through the lens of [Somers'] fifty-year love affair with her husband, Alan Hamel."
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When Kelly asked Somers and Hamel about their sex life, Somers said they have sex every single day and said that her husband takes testosterone. "Sometimes I’m not awake for it though," Somers said. The comment was met with laughter, which is is disturbing enough, but things got worse. Kelly commented that those sexual encounters (better known as spousal rape) must be Hamel's favorite, to which he responded, "[It's] fine by me!"
The group went on to joke about how marital rape is illegal in Hamel's home country of Canada and he'd "be in jail" if they lived there. (They apparently missed the memo that it's also illegal here in America because rape is rape regardless of the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim.)
Watch the cringeworthy segment here:
Because so many people are confused about what constitutes marital rape (spoiler alert: It's the same as other rapes, only the perpetrator is the victim's spouse), Somers, Hamel, and Kelly sent a deeply problematic message by laughing off this dynamic of Somers and Hamel's relationship. Although it could be argued that Somers and Hamel's sex life is none of our business, that argument pretty much goes out the window when they, you know, go on national TV and discuss it in detail.
And Kelly once again proved that she's a lightweight reporter by failing to point out that the couple was describing, and even romanticizing, marital rape. This is especially disheartening given recent Today guests have been sexual abuse survivors and advocates Elizabeth Smart and Aly Raisman.
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It turns out I'm not the only one who's disgusted by this irresponsible interview. Viewers took to Twitter to call out that the three were actually discussing marital rape.
Not even joking, but implying it's not a thing.
— Kelsey Boyer (@KelseyWeasel) November 14, 2017
Suzanne Somers just said on TV that her husband sometimes has sex with her while she sleeps, and they both giggled.
— Conz Preti (@conz) November 14, 2017
My ex used to do that to me and I considered it more abuse than romance.
Megyn Kelly and Suzanne Somers Apparently Think Spousal Rape Is Hilarious https://t.co/FvHOLsb6xS
— Selma Edwards (@selmaedwardsmd) November 15, 2017
Based on Somers' and Hamel's comments on Today, I think I'll skip Two's Company and find my relationship advice elsewhere.
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