Terry Crews Details First Time He Stood Up To Abusive Father
Gregg DeGuire/WireImage Reading Time: 3 minutes
We all know Terry Crews as the extremely buff ‘AGT’ host that flashes his pecks every now and again. But he recently opened up on an episode of Running Wild With Bear Grylls about why he started working out in the first place. The true reason is very emotional.
‘AGT’ Host Terry Crews Grew Up With An Abusive Father
At the age of 5, Terry witnessed his father abusing his mother. This led him to build up his strength so that he would be prepared if he ever needed to get physical with his father.
“Growing up was not a good experience,” Terry said. “My father was very abusive, you know, he used to beat my mother. And so, it was one of those things where I knew I would have to get stronger because one day I thought I’d have to fight him. That’s how it started out.”
In a previous interview, Terry candidly admitted that he wet his bed for 14 years due to fearing his father. He called living through this experience a “nightmare.” Watching his mother go through so much pain, Terry tried to find new ways to cheer her up.
SEE ALSO: ‘AGT’ HOST TERRY CREWS CREATES CRYPTOCURRENCY TO GET CLOSER TO FANS
“There was a lot of sadness, you know, with my father being an alcoholic, and it being so violent at home, and I remember just being able to make her laugh, and she would just crack up” he added. “I mean, her laugh just reverberated all the way through the house. And, uh, it’s one of the things that gives me the most satisfaction today is making people feel good.”
This was the start of Terry’s acting career and love for comedy. But the abuse continued, even during a night where Terry left his kids with his parents. In 2000, Terry finally stood up to his father 30 years after the abusive episodes took place.
“We went home for Christmas, and my father decided to beat her one more time. I mean, he had gone years without touching her, and he hit her in the mouth, knocked her tooth sideways, and I was, like, I told him, ‘Get the kids out the house. Take the kids, everybody leave. Just leave me and him alone,'” he explained. Terry got into a fight with his father that led to the actor beating him up.
“Bear, I beat this man,” the 52-year-old admitted. “I remember he was begging, begging, and all I could think of was, like, this is how my mother felt. How do you like it? And this is the thing, Bear. I thought it would feel good. And he’s on the ground, bleeding, crying, and I didn’t feel one bit better. It left me with nothing.”
Terry Has Since Forgiven His Father For Everything
Terry wrote an essay in 2014 published by Huffpost where he explained why he has forgiven his father. He began by giving his father credit for the positive things he has done. His father, Big Terry, provided for their family. Terry decided to give him a call and hash things out. Finally, Terry received an apology from Big Terry which was very unexpected.
SEE ALSO: AFTER BEATING CANCER, TERRY CREWS’ WIFE REBECCA WANTS OTHER WOMEN TO GET SCREENED
“By me forgiving him. By me finding one thing to compliment him and be thankful for, I was able to transcend that moment and we were able to transcend it and, and get past it” Terry said on the show. “And I find there’s a lot of things that you just have to cut your losses on. Move on, and reevaluate the situation as it exists today. And now, I have been able to move on.”
