Mackenzie Phillips tells of incestuous affair with her Mamas & Papas singer dad

02 December 2023 , 19:57

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John Phillips and his daughter MacKenzie pictured together at a drug rehab unit

Mackenzie Phillips forgives her dad for raping her on her wedding day - a sick act that sparked a decade-long incestuous love affair between the pair.

She was just 19 when John Phillips, lead vocalist of the Mamas & the Papas, forced himself on her, hours before she wed Jeff Sessler. Mackenzie later struggled with serious drug addiction, and during this time found herself having a consensual sexual affair with her dad.

In her 2009 autobiography, High On Arrival, she shocked the world when she admitted details of their incestuous trysts, writing that they only stopped when she got pregnant and she wasn’t sure if the father was her husband, or her dad. Her dad paid for her to have an abortion and he “never touched” her again.

John raped Mackenzie on her wedding day, and they then began a 10-year incestuous affair

She described John, who died from heart failure in 2001, as a “great and terrible sun around which his children, wives, girlfriends, fellow musicians, and drug dealers orbited, relentlessly drawn to his fierce, inspiring, damaging light."

But despite the pain, confusion and embarrassment she has lived with because of the abuse, Mackenzie has forgiven her father - but she’s found that others have judged her for it.

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Speaking to her younger sister Chynna, 55, in a video shared to her YouTube channel, she said that she has been judged for “having forgiveness in her heart” for their twisted dad. She said: “Forgiving is for me, not the other person. And forgiving doesn’t mean that I co-sign or agree with what I’m forgiving you for, or him for. It’s very complicated. It’s very, very complicated. And yet, I am at peace.”

Mackenzie Phillips, pictured in 2017, has "forgiveness in her heart" for her abusive dad

The pair also spoke candidly about their dad and how much they loved him despite his “very dark side”. Chynna, who is married to actor Billy Baldwin, described the musician as “one of my favourite individuals in the whole wide world,” albeit it one with a “dark” side.

She added: “Talk about complex, so many different levels to who he was. Obviously, he’s an amazing songwriter.” Mackenzie agreed, calling him a “genius.”

Chynna continued: “I loved his laugh. Yet there was this whole other side to dad that was kind of, like, monster. He was so dark, and you just didn’t know who you were going to get, right? It was very unpredictable.”

If you have been affected by this story, contact Rape Crisis England & Wales for free confidential support and information on 08088029999 or their website or 08088010302 if you're calling from Scotland. You can contact the Domestic and Sexual Abuse helpline on 0808 802 1414 if you are in Ireland.

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Emma Gritt