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“Ben Richardson Or Bill Hader”: Anna Kendrick Opens Up About An Alleged “Abusive” Ex
Anna Kendrick opened up about her “abusive” ex-boyfriend and how her therapist would often side with him during couples’ therapy. The Woman of the Hour director and star appeared on Alex Cooper‘s Call Her Daddy podcast on Tuesday (October 22), where she revealed that a seven-year relationship with an unidentified former partner had turned abusive.
Highlights
- Anna Kendrick discussed her abusive ex and therapist siding with him.
- Anna's relationship paralleled her role in Alice, Darling.
- Anna questioned her own sanity amid emotional manipulation.
At the time of the alleged abusive relationship, Anna was coming off an acclaimed role in Alice, Darling, which had very similar parallels to her real-life relationship.
She told Alex on the podcast: “I had just gotten out of a relationship that was extremely similar to the movie.
“I didn’t want anybody to tell me to not do it. I didn’t want to get talked out of it.”
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Anna Kendrick opened up about her “abusive” ex-boyfriend and how her therapist would often side with him during couples’ therapy
Image credits: Jesse Grant/Variety/Getty Images
In the 2022 psychological thriller, Anna plays Alice, who is in a psychologically abusive relationship with her boyfriend, Simon (Charlie Carrick).
In the movie, after taking a vacation with friends, Anna decides to reassess her relationship with Simon and attempts to break her codependency.
At some point, Anna recalled: “It didn’t follow the traditional pattern, which is kind of yet another reason why I was finding it really difficult to identify it and name it as abusive.”
Image credits: imdb
“So I thought it had to be me. Like, if one of us is crazy, it must be me.”
The 39-year-old actress reportedly said she had turned her life “completely upside down, trying to fix whatever was wrong” with herself.
She went on to admit that couples’ therapy was unsuccessful, stating: “It didn’t help that for a long period of time, our couples’ therapist, I think, just bought his stuff kind of hook, line, and sinker.”
The Woman of the Hour director and star appeared on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast on Tuesday (October 22)
Image credits: Spotify
Anna explained: “I always felt like I was trying to stay so calm in couples’ therapy because I was like, f**k, in these sessions, he’s so able to kind of stay calm in a way that he does not do when we’re outside of therapy.”
The Pitch Perfect talent also said at certain times, her ex would accuse her of terrorizing him. “I was just crying, because I couldn’t pretend that things were fine anymore.
“I just started crying and he screamed in my face, ‘You’re terrorizing me.’ But it was truly from the place of a person who believed that they were being terrorized.”
Anna revealed that her therapist later apologized after he “realized what was going on” toward the end of the relationship, Business Insider reported on Friday (October 25).
Image credits: Spotify
Later in the episode, Kendrick admitted: “I’m never getting involved with a man. Meaning like, we’re not even kissing.
“We’re not even going to have a real conversation — unless you are in or have been in therapy.”
While Anna did not mention who her ex was in the interview, it didn’t take long for people to start to speculate about his identity.
Some people on TikTok point to Ben Richardson, as a person commented: “Most definitely is him, he looks so much like the character Magnus on her show Love Life.”
On the podcast, Anna revealed that a seven-year relationship with an unidentified former partner had turned abusive
Image credits: Spotify
Anna Kendrick was dating her Drinking Buddies costar Ben Richardson from 2014 to 2019, StyleCaster reported on Wednesday (October 23).
The two kept their relationship reportedly private but were often photographed together. When asked by The Sydney Morning Herald about her relationship status at the time, she said: “Well, as far as keeping it private, it isn’t easy, as you are proving right now.
“But that’s just always how it’s been for me.”
Image credits: ONE Media
In 2023, Anna opened up about her past abusive relationship, telling CBS Mornings: “I know that gaslighting has become this kind of term that is very, very popular, but it was a really sustained period and I really didn’t know what to believe anymore.
“I really started to wonder if I had a mental health issue, and, yeah, I kind of dismantled my life and for a year I started just going to therapy and going to Al-Anon.”
Al-Anon is an international mutual aid organization for people who have been impacted by another person’s alcoholism.
She continued: “When another human being is so certain that you’re nuts, basically, it’s really difficult to not believe somebody, because I think there’s something about another person’s certainty that makes you go like, well, I guess I’m not 100 certain, so it must be me.”
At the time of the alleged abusive relationship, Anna was coming off an acclaimed role in Alice, Darling
Image credits: Netflix
A TikTok user commented: “For those curious this is about her ex Ben Richardson.”
Meanwhile, others wondered if Anna was referring to actor Bill Hader, whom she dated for four years.
The duo co-starred in the 2019 Christmas film Noelle, and rumors about their relationship began to spread though both individuals kept quiet about their romance, according to StyleCaster.
Bored Panda has contacted the representatives of Anna, Bill, and Ben for comment.
“Sometimes the best way to heal is to move on,” a reader commented
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What do you think ?
Shark Lady 1 month ago
I don't think anyone should be speculating who Anna's abusive ex is, she has chosen not to identify him. Incorrectly naming someone as abusive could have unintended consequences and ruin their life; it could also cause more harm to Anna.
Miranda Veracruz de la Joya Cardenal 1 month ago
Therapists are trained to detect manipulation and sociopaths. Unfortunately some abusers are really good at manipulation. Imagine what happens when the victim has to talk to a cop about the abuse.
Robert Jensen 1 month ago
I think we can rule out Hader as Kendrick said that she was in this relationship for seven years, but Hader separated from his now-ex-wife in 2017, the divorce was final in 2018, and he's been dating Ali Wong for the past couple of years.
Load More Replies... Shark Lady 1 month ago
I don't think anyone should be speculating who Anna's abusive ex is, she has chosen not to identify him. Incorrectly naming someone as abusive could have unintended consequences and ruin their life; it could also cause more harm to Anna.
Miranda Veracruz de la Joya Cardenal 1 month ago
Therapists are trained to detect manipulation and sociopaths. Unfortunately some abusers are really good at manipulation. Imagine what happens when the victim has to talk to a cop about the abuse.
Robert Jensen 1 month ago
I think we can rule out Hader as Kendrick said that she was in this relationship for seven years, but Hader separated from his now-ex-wife in 2017, the divorce was final in 2018, and he's been dating Ali Wong for the past couple of years.
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