If you’re struggling to get the support you need or to know how to support someone after a sexual assault, Amanda Seales may have a resource for you.
On Monday, May 4, the 44-year-old actress announced in a video on Instagram that she’s releasing “Crank Dat Through a Sexual Assault,” the first installment of her memoir series “Bodywavin’ Through the BS,” which details a sexual assault she says she experienced while traveling with her boyfriend in an Airbnb in 2023 and the impact of the aftermath.
“In January 2023, I was sexually assaulted. The experience revealed a lot to me about myself. And it revealed even more to me about the incapacity of those around me to support me through this horrific experience,” Seales explained in the video.
The “Insecure” alum added that with April, when Sexual Assault Awareness Month is observed, coming to a close, she wanted to release this written account of the attack as well as the aftermath as a way to mark the month.
“This chapter speaks not only to my experience, it speaks to the ways in which I got through it and as a guide to helping all of us be better at showing up,” she continued.
“For everyone who has experienced this, art has been an incredibly important aspect to my healing,” she explained, adding, “I hope that for all of us who have experienced, we are finding pathways to our healing that we can stick to that we can grow with and that others are helping to fortify.”
The chapter is currently available at amandalandexports.com in hardcover, paperback, and e-book formats.
In the caption of the post, she wrote, “I hope this work helps all of us in constant motion toward reclaiming our souls from a world wired to take them.”
Seales has opened up about the assault in recent years through her podcast “Small Doses.” She initially detailed the assault in a 2024 episode titled “Side Effects of SA”, explaining it occurred in January 2023 while she was on vacation with her boyfriend, when a man broke into their Airbnb through an unlocked balcony door. She awoke, finding him with his hand between her legs. She said she was unable to identify him or provide any further details, leading authorities to dismiss the report.
She recalled the Airbnb owner’s lack of concern and how, after she gave her account, he remarked, “So he didn’t steal anything?” as if leaving her with a sense of safety wasn’t tangible enough.
“I found myself beginning to doubt, and I don’t know if others who have experienced sexual assault have done this before. I’m sure it’s a norm, but you start to doubt the reality of what you experienced, almost as if you made this up,” she said at the time.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, help is available. You can contact the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit online.rainn.org for confidential support. For culturally competent resources, please head to Therapyforblackgirls.com.
