“The View”'s Alyssa Farah Griffin reveals she was abused in past relationship: 'I was one of the lucky ones'

Griffin, who previously worked for both Mike Pence and Donald Trump, opened up about her experience as the cohosts discussed video of Diddy assaulting Cassie.

The View star Alyssa Farah Griffin has opened up about the domestic abuse she endured in a past relationship, as she urged people to have more compassion for other survivors of physical assault.

The 34-year-old revealed her experience on Monday's episode of the talk show, as the cohosts criticized rapper Diddy after video surfaced of the recording artist physically assaulting his ex-girlfriend, fellow singer Cassie, in a hotel hallway in 2016.

Griffin spoke at the end of the opening segment, which saw panelist Ana Navarro heavily criticizing an apology video Diddy posted after CNN broadcast video of the assault on Cassie.

"There was no message to young men," Griffin said of Diddy's video, which she suggested should've included a statement imploring others not to abuse their partners. "Part of this conversation I've seen since this video emerged is this question of why didn't she leave. I want to speak to that. I once was a victim of domestic abuse in a prior relationship. It happened once. I was one of the lucky ones where the power dynamics were in my favor. I could leave, I could walk away, I could remove myself from him."

Griffin, who previously worked for Mike Pence and as a member of Donald Trump's communications team before resigning in 2020 and joining The View in 2022, said that "in the vast majority of cases," it's "not the case" that abused partners can leave a toxic relationship as easily as she did.

"They use financial abuse to keep you, emotional manipulation, and add to that that this is a multi-millionaire, incredibly powerful, incredibly well-connected person," Griffin observed. "There's an entire industry of making money off of him. She had no hope to get away from him."

The political commentator finished her thought by noting that, while the Los Angeles Police Department District Attorney's office can't hold Diddy accountable for his actions due to the statute of limitations, she feels there's a path to justice through those around the entertainer.

"There are other folks who need to be held accountable that knew this was happening and didn't say a thing," Griffin supposed.

Related: The View star Alyssa Farah Griffin hopes O.J. Simpson death 'gives some peace' to murder victims' families

Entertainment Weekly has reached out to a representative for Griffin at The View for further comment.

In his apology video, Diddy said: "I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now. I went and I sought professional help. After going to therapy and going to rehab, I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to being a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry."

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Still, backlash was widespread after the video surfaced, given that Cassie initially filed a lawsuit against Diddy in November 2023, which was settled out of court the day after it was filed.

The View airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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