Ariel Winter has been opening up about the abuse she was subjected to during her younger years. The sitcom star, 27, is best known for her Alex Dunphy role on ABC series Modern Family, one that made her a household name. While Ariel left the show when it ended in 2020, her role hasn’t been forgotten.
Now, the actress is speaking out about the shadier side of her Hollywood career, including what she went through with “male predators.” The TV favorite hasn’t quit her acting gigs, although she did make 2022 headlines for leaving Hollywood after finding being chased around by the paparazzi unbearable.
Ariel Winter Speaks Out About ‘Male Predator’ Abuse
“I am familiar with male predators because I worked in Hollywood at a young age, I started at age four,” she told The Daily Mail ahead of the weekend.
Ariel added: “I don’t wanna say too much about it, but by the time I was on a laptop and cell phone, I was getting inappropriate messages from older men, and it caused trauma,” continuing that she’d sought professional support to help her through her trauma. Ariel further divulged that what she experienced both “in person and online” had forced her to seek therapy. In a blunt statement, she called Hollywood “a dark place.”
Additionally, Ariel remarked on the amount of body-shaming she’s been subjected to over the years. The actress, who dropped a reported 30 pounds in 2019, was trolled for her weight loss as users inferred she’d used drugs to lose the weight. Things got so bad, Ariel publicly clapped back, confirming that a switch of her antidepressant medication was behind the weight loss. Winter eventually opened up to Teen Vogue in 2020 to discuss how horrible the online bullying about her weight had been.
Here, she told the outlet that online trolls “suck” and that being called “fat” left her feeling incredibly hurt. Ariel joins stars including singers Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato in having been victims of body-shaming.
Ariel remains active on Instagram, but rarely shares her location. She often posts updates including boyfriend Luke Benward, whom she lives with. The couple is known for their many dogs and fans are, for sure, hoping for an engagement announcement. The two have been an item since 2019. Ariel often receives Instagram likes from former costars, including Sofia Vergara and Sarah Hyland. Her following sits at just above 5 million.
