Summary
- Blake Jenner, known for his role in Glee, faced domestic violence allegations and a divorce from ex-wife Melissa Benoist, which led to a downfall in his career.
- Melissa Benoist bravely spoke out about her abusive relationship with Jenner, describing him as charming and manipulative, and detailing the physical and emotional abuse she endured.
- Jenner took responsibility for his actions, admitting to the abuse and undergoing therapy to work through the trauma. He expressed remorse and a commitment to bettering himself, but his career prospects remain uncertain.
Blake Jenner is an American actor, singer, and model. As a child actor, he only did TV commercials. His first big role was when he was cast in the fourth season of Glee. After Jenner won the second season of The Glee Project, he got to join the show, and he played the character, Ruder Lynn. Following Glee, he has been in a couple of movies and TV Mini-Series. He was even a guest star on CW's TV show, Supergirl, where his ex-wife, Melissa Benoist, starred and played Supergirl.
Following the domestic violence allegations against him and his divorce from Benoist, he hadn't been making headlines and was kind of undercover. His career did take major hits and witnessed a downfall. So where has he been after his divorce?
Updated October 2023: Despite seeming to be gearing up for a comeback as one of the lead actors in 'Merrily We Roll Along', in January 2023, it was revealed that he had been replaced. Whether that was as a result of him admitting to domestic violence, or had something to do with his DUI, was not confirmed.
When Did Blake Jenner Met His Ex-Wife Melissa Benoist?
Jenner met Benoist in 2012 on the set of Glee. It was the same year she joined the hugely successful cast. Benoist shared the story of how their love began and said the following in an Instagram video:
“For a period of time, I wasn’t interested. I was newly single, gaining my bearing in a period of change in my life, and making dumb decisions… But in the midst of that, he became a friend. A friend that made me laugh and made me feel less alone, made me feel special and worthwhile, and then once we started dating, it was a zero to 60 catapult… He loved me. I thought I loved him, and I was going to make it work.”
The couple started dating shortly thereafter, and in 2015, it was revealed that they'd said their 'I Do's' in an intimate ceremony. The marriage didn't last for long, though. Just 15 months after their wedding, Benoist filed for divorce, and a year later, everything was finalized. At the time, the only explanation given was that they'd had irreconcilable differences. However, a year after that, Benoist took to Instagram with a heartbreaking revelation.
Melissa Benoist Spoke Out About Domestic Violence
In the same video that saw Benoist open up about how her relationship with Jenner began, she revealed that she had been in an abusive relationship. The video was extremely emotional, and she had to write down a script to power through it.
Benoist didn't name the man who put her through that much pain and hardship but described him as someone who could be charming, funny, devious, and manipulative. She said he was a “Magnanimous person, who didn’t really give you a choice not to be drawn to him.”
She claimed that aside from domestic violence, he invaded her privacy, and controlled who she talked to and how she dressed. With no need to give a name, the world figured out that it was Jenner, as he was the only person she was publicly attached to.
Following her announcement, Jenner disappeared for a while, becoming inactive on social media.
That is, until nearly a year later. In October 2020, Jenner came forward on Instagram with a statement, saying,
“I take full responsibility and accountability for the hurt that I inflicted during my relationship with my past partner — emotionally, mentally, and yes, physically.”
Jenner announced that he went through therapy which helped him work through the trauma and what he has done. He stated that the marriage was founded on co-dependency, which had a hand in the "dire consequences." He also admitted that he himself was physically assaulted.
"I was scratched," he wrote. "I was slapped. I was punched in the face, which caused a trip to the hospital to treat my broken nose. I, too, have had to conceal and make up lies about many visible injuries I had incurred throughout the relationship. I was physically assaulted in the shower, leaving me with a traumatic injury that I do not want to delve into at this time."
Nevertheless, he also pointed out that he wasn't making any excuses for his behavior, and that he was committed to never repeating his actions again.
"While I wish it did not take the pain that was suffered throughout the course of our relationship, I will never regress to making the same mistakes again. I will never stop doing the work necessary to better myself," he pledged.
Where Is Blake Jenner Now?
Jenner is sort of active on social media, posting pictures of himself going to the gym, attending movie premieres, and spending time with loved ones. However, it's worth noting that since Benoist's post, his Instagram comments have been restricted. In some of his more recent posts, he's blocked the comments option altogether.
As for the professional side of things, he's been featured in a few projects since Benoist's Instagram post. Per IMDb, he's gone on to be in Paradise City and The Proposal Spot. He was also set to be part of Merrily We Roll Along - however, in early 2023, it was confirmed that he'd been replaced by Paul Mescal.
In addition to him admitting to assaulting Benoist, there's a possibility that Jenner's replacement had something to do with his DUI arrest.
In 2022, Jenner was arrested for missing a red light while driving under the influence. Jenner couldn't perform the sobriety test as instructed and showed symptoms of being intoxicated. Making matters worse, it wasn't the first time he'd been caught driving under the influence. However, after pleading no contest, he was sentenced to undertake counseling, as well as placed on five years' summary probation.
At the time of writing, Jenner hasn't announced any upcoming projects. Time will tell if he's able to stage a comeback.
