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Earlier this month, Kenneth Petty, the husband of Nicki Minaj, pleaded guilty for failing to register as a sex offender after her moved California. Petty was convicted in 1995 of sexually assaulting Jennifer Hough, after first denying the rape charges. He spent four years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted rape.
On Wednesday (September 22), Hough, along with her attorney Tyrone Blackburn, appeared on The Real to discuss the defamation and witness intimidation lawsuit she filed against the rapper and Petty.
"I'm tired of being afraid," Hough said in her first televised interview. Over the last few months, Hough has accused associates of Nicki Minaj and her husband of pressuring Hough to recant her allegations against Petty.
"I feel like the actions that were taken in regards to this whole situation have put me in a different type of fear at my age now and it was wrong," Hough said. "And I don't want to be afraid anymore, and the only way to not be afraid is to speak up."
Hough says Nicki called her in March 2020 offering to fly Hough and her family to LA and later sent people to "negotiate numbers."
Hough says she started to receive threats after she turned down offers allegedly made by the rapper and associates. Hough recalled the most recent incident in which she says an associate "placed $20,00 on my life," which she again refused.
"The last message I received was that I should have taken the money because they're going to use that money to put on my head," Hough said.
Hough went on to say that with the lawsuit, her goal is to let them know "they're wrong," adding, "you can't do this to people."
"He did something a long time ago and he had consequences that he was supposed to stick with," Hough said. "What they did to me and my family wasn't ok. It wasn't right."
Reading about Black trauma can have an impact on your mental health. If you or someone you know need immediate mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline is 1-800-656-4673.
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