Brooke Baldwin reveals childhood experience of being beaten with a belt

Former CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin has shared a previously undisclosed account of childhood physical abuse. In her Substack newsletter, ‘Unraveling’, the 47-year-old journalist described an incident during elementary school where her father beat her with a belt.

Baldwin stated that the punishment was so severe she woke up ‘black and blue’ on her backside. She noted that the incident occurred just as she was preparing to leave for sleepaway camp, which caused her significant mortification regarding the possibility of other children seeing the bruises.

The memory was prompted by Baldwin’s recent journalism project, ‘America, Tell Me Everything’, during which she interviewed women about their own experiences. Baldwin expressed that the incident was her last spanking and described the lasting psychological impact, including feelings of anxiety and ‘full-body panic’ regarding impending punishment.