Beth Stelling’s Instagram Abuse Photo Gets 18,000 Likes: Ex-Boyfriend Cale Hartmann Deletes Twitter, Facebook Accounts
Beth Stelling is a popular comedian whose Instagram page is usually full of funny photos of Stelling in various locations around the country on her comedy tours. However, one recent Instagram post uploaded by Beth is striking a big chord with her fans, because of the raw honesty Stelling displays about being the victim of abuse at the hands of an ex-boyfriend.
As reported by Us, Beth didn’t name her abusive ex-boyfriend, but that hasn’t stopped Stelling’s current boyfriend from naming Beth’s ex-boyfriend. Sam Morril took to Twitter, with Sam writing that Cale Hartmann is the name of Beth’s ex-boyfriend.
Both the facebook.com/calehartmann page and the twitter.com/calehartmann social media accounts have been deleted, however, the Google cache of Cale’s Twitter page lives on.
Cale Hartmann's last tweet, like Cale Hartmann, was a manifestly unfunny joke. pic.twitter.com/MWoO52KC2V
— Sean Craig (@sdbcraig) December 29, 2015
"After being verbally, physically abused and raped, I dated him for two more months." https://t.co/ynXZTbPfBs
— New York Post (@nypost) December 29, 2015
The photos that Beth posted to Instagram come with a description with Stelling writing that she’s the same woman in all of the photos. Despite her “amazing” year and all the blessings Beth displays via her Instagram account, Stelling admits that she was the victim of abuse as well. The disturbing photos show bruises on Stelling’s legs. Beth notes how it’s not popular to share abuse photos, but that violence against women can be a sadly popular thing.
“You may be weirded out but do read on. I have a point. There are many reasons not to make an abusive relationship public, mostly fear. Scared of what people will think, scared it makes me look weak or unprofessional. When I broke up with my ex this summer, it wasn’t because I didn’t love him, it was because of this. And I absolutely relapsed and contacted him with things I shouldn’t have, but there are no “best practices” with this. When friends or comics ask why we broke up it’s not easy or comfortable to reply; it doesn’t seem like the appropriate thing to say at a stand-up show, a party or a wedding. It’s embarrassing. I feel stupid.”
Heart goes out to this brave comic and fierce woman @bethstelling #sistersdoinitforthemselves https://t.co/8gQdnXsZWZ
— Jessica St. Clair (@Jessica_StClair) December 29, 2015
The most serious part of Beth’s Instagram post writes about Stelling being sexually assaulted as well. Beth wrote about being asked by her ex-boyfriend to keep the abuse quiet, even after they broke up. Stelling admitted that she loved her ex-boyfriend, and stayed with him for two months after the abuse because she loved him.
“After being verbally, physically abused and raped, I dated him for two more months. It’s not simple.”
“After I broke up with him he said, “You’re very open and honest in your stand-up, and I just ask that you consider me when you talk about your ex because everyone knows who you’re talking about.” And I abided. I wrote vague jokes because we both live in L.A. and I didn’t want to hurt him, start a war, press charges, be interrogated or harassed by him or his friends and family.”
Beth explained that she’s not trying to hurt her ex or get revenge, but that she has to get the incident out because it’s the truth and she can’t hide because her comedy pulls from her real life. Stelling says women have come up to Beth after her shows to tell her how they can relate to the abuse, and Beth admits that an ex-girlfriend of Stelling’s ex-boyfriend said that he did the same thing to her.
“Hey, Tarantino, shut up man, I’m trying to watch the movie.”
Other tweets spoke about failed auditions.
“Sometimes you blow an audition so hard that you and casting bond over it.”
[Image via Instagram/Beth Stelling]
