'Papa' Keeps it in the Family

Mackenzie Phillips said publicly today her father, John Phillips, raped her when she was a teenager. There are a couple of things that make this situation a little different from your usual rape case (not that any are “usual”). First, Mackenzie Phillips is a former child star (“One Day at a Time”) and John Phillips was a front man of the group The Mamas and the Papas. Secondly, John Phillips was her father. It gets creepier. Thirdly, the father-daughter sexual abuse eventually became consensual, according to Ms. Phillips.


Mackenzie appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” today and spoke about the ordeal. She told Oprah her siblings were not happy she was there. Oprah also read a statement from Genevieve Waite, John Phillips’ wife when the alleged sexual relationship went on, insisting John was “incapable, no matter how drunk or drugged he was, of having such a relationship with his own child.”

However, Mackenzie displayed her convictions very clearly.

"Your father is supposed to protect you. Your father is supposed to protect you, not f--k you," she told the unyielding talk show host.

Mackenzie said the abuse lasted for 10 years and the sexual encounters eventaully became consensual,but ended after John paid for her abortion. She claimed she didn’t know who the father was, but I have a hunch. She went on to share she started using cocaine when she was 11 years old, thanks to her dad, who injected her with the drug and showed her how to roll a joint.

The actress was not on Oprah just to share her confused and tumultuous childhood. Ms. Phillips also wanted to promote her memoir, High on Arrival, which is on sale now. (Coincidence, I’m sure.)  But on a more selfless note, she attempted to serve as a sort of PSA for incest victims.

"I can't be the only one this has happened to," Phillips said. "Someone needs to put a face on consensual incest."

And that she did. Whether her goal was to sell her book by making headlines or to actually bring awareness to a touchy and uncomfortable topic, Mackenzie Phillips will be known for consensually having sex with her father.

-Ashley Thompson
currenlty listening to "Future Reflections" by MGMT
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