Jennifer Hough, the woman suing Kenneth Petty for intimidation and harassment, appeared on “The Real” on Wednesday (Sept. 22) for her first public interview about the lawsuit and her rape allegations against him stemming from 1994.

Hough claims Petty raped her when they were both 16 years old. At the time, Petty was arrested and charged with first-degree rape, but he later pleaded guilty to attempted rape instead and served four-and-a-half years in prison.

On Wednesday, Hough tearfully recounted her encounter with Petty.

“I was on my way to high school,” she began. “I seen him at a bus stop… before you know it, he was grabbing ahold of my jacket.”

Hough said she felt Petty press something into her back, which she assumed to be a gun, as he led her toward a house. The weapon was later determined to be a knife, according to her lawsuit.

“I’m crying… ‘cause now I’m inside [a house],” she continued. “… He pushed me down on the bed. We wrestled for my clothes… All I could do was hold my pants [up] as tight as I [could].”

After the encounter, Hough reported Petty to the police. On “The Real,” she said she was forced to leave her family and move away from New York due to the assault and said the incident continues to emotionally affect her to this day. On Aug. 21, 2021; Hough filed a lawsuit against Petty and his wife Nicki Minaj, claiming they’ve been threatening her and her family members in an effort to compel her to recant her allegations.

The suit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, accuses Petty of violating his plea deal by allegedly threatening and telling Hough “not to speak out.”

When asked why she’s choosing to speak out now in a televised interview, Hough replied, “I’m tired of being afraid.”

“I don’t want to be afraid anymore and the only way to not be afraid is to continue to speak up,” she added.

Petty also currently faces up to 10 years in jail for failing to register as a sex offender in California. See clips from Hough’s interview below.