Actress Liza Soberano has opened up about some of the darkest chapters of her childhood, revealing in painful detail the abuse she endured while growing up in the United States.
Speaking in the latest episode of the ‘Can I Come In?’ podcast, Soberano shared that she and her younger brother were placed in foster care after being separated from their parents, Jacqueline and John, who had her at a young age.
“One thing common is they were so misguided. When I was born, these two kids, they were just two children. They were working multiple jobs to make ends meet. They were kind of like this Bonnie and Clyde duo,” Liza recalled.
She revealed that her mother became addicted to drugs, while her father was involved in drug manufacturing, illegal firearms, and restraining order violations before being deported back to the Philippines.
After her mother began a relationship with a man named Michael, things worsened.
“My earliest memory of all this trauma was after my mom and dad broke up, my mom started dating this guy named Michael. That guy was really bad news… There was a moment where he had stolen a minivan… and then he took me, my mom, and little brother… I was probably 2 at the time and my brother is 1.”
Liza claimed Michael physically hurt her when her mother wasn’t around. Eventually, both her mother and Michael were arrested, leading to her placement in foster care.
Months later, she and her brother moved into the home of a woman named Melissa — supposedly her mother’s high school friend — where the abuse escalated.
“I ended up staying with her for eight months. In the beginning it was alright and then eventually she started treating me differently… They would literally call me the family dog and I would have to sit in like a big cardboard box behind the sofa and I would actually sit there like a dog,” she revealed.
She described another traumatic incident: “The next instance I remember was when their actual family dog took a shit on the carpet, and she called me to clean it up… She said, ‘No, I want you to use your tongue.’ I thought she was joking—until she grabbed the back of my head and forced me down onto the carpet.”
The abuse only ended when a social worker discovered what was happening. Liza and her brother were sent to the Philippines to live with their estranged father due to their grandparents’ declining health.
“I am strongly opposed to this. I didn’t like my dad at all. I didn’t grow up with him… He expected that we would act like we knew each other all this time… He didn’t know how to take it step by step and he just made me uncomfortable.”
Despite her harrowing past, Liza ended her revelation with a message of empowerment: “‘Hope, I promise you I won’t ever let anyone make you feel inferior. Ever… Don’t let people hurt you. Don’t stay because you are afraid of rocking the boat. Love yourself first and life will get so much better.’”
Fans have flooded social media with messages of sympathy and support for the actress, praising her bravery in speaking out about her childhood trauma.
