Ty Herndon alleges rape by ‘Star Search,’ sobriety after drug use

Ty Herndon, a country singer and former member of the Tennessee River Boys, is opening up about how an alleged sexual assault early in his career led to years of substance abuse.

Ahead of the release of a new memoir, titled “What Mattered Most,” Herndon, 63, told People that the “small amount of freedom” he gained from sharing his story felt redemptive.

“I can finally breathe,” he told the outlet. Herndon, who is gay, recounts in the memoir, per People, the struggle of coming to terms with his sexuality after a religious upbringing in a Southern Baptist Church. “I didn’t realize how much of my life was ruled by [my sexuality],” he told People.

Before he reached peak stardom on the country music dial, Herndon alleges he was raped by a male staffer while appearing on the reality television competition show “Star Search.” The artist, who was then in his 20s, alleges the man was almost 20 years older than him. When he told another staffer on “Star Search” whom he trusted about the assault, Herndon says the person urged him to keep quiet about it.

“It broke my heart,” Herndon told People of the alleged assault. “You cannot make sense of it.” The singer, who told the magazine that he blamed himself at first, said he’s hoping sharing his story will “break that glass” for other male victims of sexual assault.

“I’m in a place now where I’m not defined by what happened to me that night,” he said, adding that he has been “finding peace within myself.”

“Star Search,” which aired in the 1980s and ’90s and launched the careers of celebrities like Adam Sandler, Christina Aguilera and Dave Chappelle, returned to Netflix this year for a revival. Herndon rose to fame after his run on the show, breaking through with his debut single (and the title of his book) “What Mattered Most,” which reached the top of the Billboard Country music charts.

“I have gone to the end of the road with that, and what I found out was that it’s something that happened,” Herndon said of blaming himself for the assault. “You don’t know what was going on in that person’s life, and they don’t know what’s going on in yours, but it happened.”

The singer alleges that his assailant introduced him to meth the night of the rape and that in its aftermath, he spiraled into years of substance abuse and mental health struggles, including several suicide attempts.

Now, he attends a 12-step program and says he’s found a sense of clarity. “It gave me peace,” Herndon told People. “I know what the word ‘fearless’ means now.”