In a shocking sneak peek from TV One’s Hollywood Divas, Countess Vaughn revealed during a therapy session that she had an abortion around the age of 18. The unexpected revelation left the mother of two, 36, exploring new territory.
“I had an unwanted pregnancy. I had just started my TV show,” Countess Vaughn recalled. “I knew that in black Hollywood a girl having a baby, they’d get rid of you. I had to do something about it. I had to make a decision to get rid of a child for my career.”
Not only did she make the painful decision to have an abortion, but the actress was also forced to keep the procedure a secret.
“I knew from the jump if I let any of them know what was going on, they would have cancelled my show,” she told the therapist.
After taping the emotional episode, Countess Vaughn, who is now mom to kids Sasha Whitten, 5, and Jaylyn James, 11, spoke with Us Weekly about the experience of opening up on TV.
“I really needed it to release all that I’ve been carrying all this time,” she tells Us. “I’ve beat myself up for so long about it, and I just felt like, ‘You know what girl, you’ve got to tell somebody.’ Even though the world will know, hey, that’s just me. I like to keep it real at all times. While it was being shot, I really didn’t notice the cameras being there. I was really there for help.”
The ‘90s star’s abortion wasn’t the only bombshell she dropped during therapy. The actress, who appeared on the series Moesha and The Parkers, also suffered from another extreme condition.
Watch the clip now and tune into the emotionally-charged episode of Hollywood Divas on Wednesday, Oct. 29 at 10 p.m. ET on TV One.
