Leeann Tweeden’s Twitter Photo Shows Al Franken Groping Her, Smiling As She Slept, But She Says It’s Not Funny

A new article by Leeann Tweeden, along with a photo, is going viral online. “Senator Al Franken Kissed and Groped Me Without My Consent, And There’s Nothing Funny About It,” writes Leeann as the title of the piece that details what Tweeden said happened when she took a USO tour to entertain troops in December of 2006. As reported by KABC, Franken was on the trip with Leeann, along with Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders and country music artists.

Franken’s sketches that he prepared for the show were designed for young men, rife with sexual innuendo. Al surprised Leeann when he told her he had written a funny part for her, but Tweeden agreed to play the role. Franken’s sketch cast Leeann’s character as a woman who would be kissed by him, but Tweeden came up with a plan to turn away from him and cover her mouth and prevent Al from kissing her to get a bigger and funnier reaction from the audience.

However, Franken wanted to “rehearse the kiss” backstage. Tweeden laughed but Al kept insisting that the kiss needed to be practiced. When they did, Leeann claimed Al stuck his tongue in her mouth. After pushing Franken away, Leeann said she warned him never to do anything like that again.

I’ve decided it’s time to tell my story. #MeToohttps://t.co/TqTgfvzkZg

— Leeann Tweeden (@LeeannTweeden) November 16, 2017

Leeann said that Al began to do little hurtful things after she admonished him and made sure to stay away from him. Franken drew devil horns on photos of Leeann that she was signing for fans. However, only after she returned to the U.S. and found the above photo of Franken appearing to grab her breasts was she really bothered.

“I couldn’t believe it. He groped me, without my consent, while I was asleep. I felt violated all over again. Embarrassed. Belittled. Humiliated. How dare anyone grab my breasts like this and think it’s funny? I told my husband everything that happened and showed him the picture.”

Tweeden wrote that she wanted to tell her story to the world, but she didn’t, because she feared what could happen to her career as a result. The public backlash could have been more than Leeann was willing to deal with years ago, but now she is more than willing to share her story. Still upset over what she says Al did to her, Leeann wrote that each time she sees Franken’s face or hears the sound of his voice, her anger rises again.

[Featured Image by Drew Angerer/Getty Images]