Marlee Matlin, the celebrated actress and activist for the deaf community, has gotten everyone furious on Twitter. Their discussion focuses on her previous abusive relationship with actor William Hurt. After Hurt’s death in 2022, Matlin said she experienced a wave of backlash from her past disclosures about their stormy relationship.
In her 2009 memoir I’ll Scream Later, Matlin bravely revealed her experiences with physical and sexual abuse. She opened up about the dark times she experienced while married to Hurt. They were first introduced on the set of 1986’s Children of a Lesser God. This project was Matlin’s screen debut, and her performance won her the Best Actress Oscar. She made history with her win as the youngest recipient ever and the only deaf actress to win this distinction.
After Hurt’s passing, social media conversations erupted, with some users dismissing Matlin’s allegations while others defended her. She reflected on the mixed reactions, stating, “On social media, I had to look at both sides of the conversations.” With all the negative noise around her previous history, Matlin decided to take the high road.
“I wanted them to stop, but at the same time, I decided to step away from the conversation,” she explained. Matlin, too, spoke about her concerns around the potential repercussions of entering those conversations. She channeled the fire she had from her experiences of not being listened to and being overlooked. “And why should I have to? I didn’t trust what would happen if I did get involved,” she added.
William Hurt responded to Matlin’s allegations in the past. He recognized their common history, and he made it clear that they had both apologized to each other. He agreed that they had “accomplished a tremendous amount toward healing their souls and minds.” Much to calm the storm after his passing. When Matlin campaigned for awards for the 2021 breakout hit “CODA,” conversations around her work exploded once more.
In a more recent development, Matlin is the subject of a new documentary titled “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. The documentary sharing the inspiring and inclusive story of cycling with narratives and striking visuals is on track to be released in theaters nationwide from late June through July.
Although she mourned Matlin for the struggles she endured amid persistent conversation surrounding Hurt, Matlin thanked her for her survival. She remarked on the nature of the abuse she experienced, emphasizing, “The physical abuse and verbal abuse, the mental and emotional abuse was not right. I learned that there.”
