Madison Beer Holds No 'Shame' Over Her Nude Video Leaking at 15, Slams Those Accountable (Exclusive)
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"No one cared to even jump in and be like, 'This is a child, and we shouldn't be sharing this video,'" Beer tells PEOPLE ahead of releasing her memoir, The Half of It
When Madison Beer announced she was writing a memoir, many people wondered how she could possibly have enough life experience to justify a book about her life at just 24 years old.
"I've lived so much life in such a short amount of time," the singer-songwriter tells PEOPLE ahead of the April 25 release of The Half of It, which chronicles her rise to fame as a young teen and several harrowing events that followed — including a nude video of her at age 15 leaking online, struggles with addiction and suicidal ideations. "I felt like this was the only appropriate place to speak on some of these topics."
Beer's career was sparked after Justin Bieber reposted a video of her singing Etta James' "At Last" in 2012, which led to deals with manager Scooter Braun and Island Records. She then released a string of bubblegum pop songs that she didn't exactly connect with, she says. But fans did, and her social media follower counts swiftly skyrocketed into the millions.
The amount of eyes on her at the time became a double-edged sword, as a private nude video of Beer at 15 that she sent in confidence to a romantic partner was leaked online and spread profusely on social media. She felt victimized at the time, as many people shamed her for sending the video in the first place. "I wasn't really protected at all," she says. "No one cared to even jump in and be like, 'This is a child, and we shouldn't be sharing this video.'"
Related:Madison Beer to Explore Young Fame and Mental Health in Debut Memoir: 'Sharing My Honest Journey'
She recalls being advised to deny that it was a video of her, which she did in hopes that the scrutiny directed her way would subside. Even as a young teenager, she was well-aware of the impact leaked nude footage could have on someone's mental health. "When I was in middle school, there was a girl who committed suicide over her nudes being sent around," says Beer.
"I remember the boy who leaked it and sent it around, and the conversation was never like, 'He's a piece of s—.' It was always like, 'Well, she shouldn't have sent those videos,'" she adds. "I remember being super shocked by that, even as a 13 year old, because I was like, 'This girl passed away. I feel like this is crazy that we're still putting blame on her like she did something wrong.'"
About a year after Beer's nude video was leaked, she was dropped by her management and record label — and both claimed the end of their relationship wasn't related to the incident. Forced to begin forging her own career path, she felt overwhelmed and even contemplated suicide.
"There were many times — just like the night my nudes were leaked — that I felt so backed into a corner I thought the only way out was to end my life," she writes in her book.
She eventually found her way, releasing the EP As She Pleases in 2018 and her debut album Life Support in 2021. Today, it's still frustrating for her to look back on how she was treated as a result. However, she doesn't blame herself.
"I don't hold shame around this. I don't think any woman — or anyone in general — should. When we're young and given a platform like Snapchat, what do you think is going to happen?" Beer says. "It really upsets me that this is an example of how men get away with things in society, and it can be a really tough pill to swallow."
She also doesn't hold any animosity toward her parents for letting her pursue a career in the entertainment world at such a young age.
"We were all flung into this industry without any awareness of what it was really like on the inside — but I think the people around me who were a bit more experienced in the industry maybe didn't do their best at stepping in," explains Beer. "At the end of the day, my parents both were like, 'This has been our daughter's dream since she was born, and we're going to let her follow this journey and support her.'"
Looking back, she feels as though she was a "Guinea pig" for how much a teenage girl could be sexualized in the burgeoning social media landscape she came up in. Part of the reason she wrote The Half of It was to analyze such events and open readers' eyes to how she was mistreated at the time.
"I definitely feel like a lot of the book is about reclaiming the narrative," says Beer. "I've put on myself a bit of a responsibility to advocate and speak on these things and make people aware that their words do hurt, linger and impact you."
If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
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