What is the Melanie Martinez controversy?

Melanie Martinez rose to fame through The Voice season three. Although she only placed sixth, Melanie went on to have a successful career as a singer.

Content Warning: This article contains allegations and descriptions of sexual assault.

Unfortunately, Melanie’s career was not without controversy. Former musician Timothy Heller accused Melanie of sexual assault in 2017. Timothy clarified on Twitter, “Just so there is no confusion, I was molested by my best friend.” Her exposé talked about how Melanie asked her if she would have sex with her. Timothy refused Melanie repeatedly, but to no avail.

Despite Timothy’s discomfort and pleas, Melanie insisted on touching her breasts. At the time, Timothy was exhausted and high from weed. Melanie was insistent and essentially broke Timothy’s will to refuse. The assault escalated to rape. Timothy alleged that Melanie performed oral sex on her and then penetrated her with an adult toy.

Melanie responded but did not deny the allegations. In a deleted tweet, Melanie wrote, “She never said no to what we chose to do together.” While she confessed to having intimate activities with Timothy, Melanie did not admit to sexual assault.

In addition to this, fans speculate that the song “Piggyback” from Melanie’s Cry Baby album is a diss directed at Timothy. Melanie sings about “trying to kill my name for some fame,” among other scathing lyrics. 

Timothy Heller is firm about her traumatic experience

Melanie’s growth as a singer was virtually unaffected despite the controversy. Meanwhile, Timothy Heller deleted her social media accounts during the #MeToo movement. She was chased off the internet until 2021, when she joined TikTok.

Recently, Timothy reaffirmed her previous sexual assault accusation against Melanie through a TikTok video. This was posted on July 19, 2024. She started the video off by stating, “Speaking out against my abuser ruined my life.” Timothy said that she never admitted to lying, nor was it proven that she lied.

When interviewed by the Daily Mail, Timothy gave the wrong date for when the assault took place. The incident took place two years prior, which was why Timothy couldn’t remember the exact date. Melanie’s fans believed that Timothy was lying about the timeline.

Due to the hate she experienced, Timothy was discouraged from making music. In the TikTok video, she also said that she turned to sex work, but her account was also hacked. The last time Timothy released music was in 2019, with her single “Self Titled.”