Paige DeSorbo Honored with 2026 Variety Courage Award by Purina for Speaking Out Against Domestic Abuse

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — In a moving highlight at Variety’s annual Power of Women event, television personality, bestselling author, and podcast host Paige DeSorbo was honored with the 2026 Variety Courage Award, presented by Purina. The accolade, handed out on September 23 in Beverly Hills, recognized DeSorbo’s profound bravery in publicly detailing her survival of an abusive relationship and her ongoing efforts to destigmatize the survivor narrative.

The star-studded event, presented by Lifetime, celebrates women making substantial impacts across entertainment, culture, and their local communities. By receiving this honor, DeSorbo joins a distinguished lineage of advocates; she is the third recipient of the Variety Courage Award, following actress Sarah Hyland in 2024 and gymnast Aly Raisman in 2025, both of whom were similarly recognized for their fierce advocacy on behalf of abuse survivors.

The evening blended Hollywood glamour with heavy emotional resonance, centering on a theme that bridges human trauma recovery with animal welfare: the vital, life-saving role that pets play when individuals seek refuge from domestic violence.

Main Facts: The Award, the Presenter, and the Mission

The ceremony featured a heartfelt presentation by actress, model, entrepreneur, and longtime friend Molly Sims. Stepping to the podium, Sims lauded DeSorbo not just for her media success, but for her decision to tear down the walls of isolation that so often trap victims of abuse.

"Paige intuitively knows that when we use our platforms and voices to champion one another, we all benefit," Sims told the attentive audience. "That instinct was part of what moved Paige to share her experience of surviving an abusive relationship. She told her story not to get attention, but to direct attention to an issue too many women experience in silence… There is real power in making someone feel less alone."

Sims also drew attention to a deeply personal element of DeSorbo’s healing journey: her bond with her cat, Daphne. This connection served as a vital bridge to the core message of the evening—highlighting the mission of the Purple Leash Project, a joint initiative by Purina and the national nonprofit RedRover that works to create pet-friendly domestic violence shelters.

Chronology of Courage: From Private Pain to Public Advocacy

To understand the weight of the 2026 Variety Courage Award, one must look back at the timeline of events that brought DeSorbo to this public platform.

• December 2024: For more than a decade, DeSorbo kept a deeply traumatic chapter of her past entirely private. However, while recording an episode of her hit podcast, Giggly Squad, she made the courageous decision to break her silence. She candidly shared with listeners that she had experienced severe physical and emotional abuse during a relationship when she was just 19 years old.
• Late 2024 to 2025: The podcast episode sent shockwaves through her fanbase, generating an overwhelming response from listeners who resonated with her vulnerability. By addressing the intense shame and societal stigma that domestic abuse survivors frequently face, DeSorbo transformed her personal reckoning into a public beacon of hope.
• September 23, 2026: Recognizing the cultural ripple effect of her disclosure, Purina and Variety honored DeSorbo at the Power of Women event in Beverly Hills, cementing her role as a formidable voice in advocacy.
• Fall 2026: Coinciding with the award, Purina announced a major financial commitment to fuel the Purple Leash Project, tying corporate philanthropy directly to the conversational momentum generated by advocates like DeSorbo.

During her acceptance speech, DeSorbo reflected directly on how her trauma altered her perception of security, and how her feline companion became a pillar of her recovery.

“When you’ve been through something that changes your understanding of what safety feels like, the little things that make you feel safe again can mean everything. For me, one of those things is my relationship with my cat, Daphne,” DeSorbo said from the stage. “No one should have to choose between their own safety and the pet who has helped them feel safe, loved, and less alone.”

Supporting Data: The Crucial Intersection of Pets and Domestic Violence

While celebrity advocacy brings necessary star power and media visibility to the forefront, the underlying crisis of domestic violence—and its intersection with pet ownership—is grounded in stark, sobering statistics.

For many victims, the decision to flee an abusive household is not straightforward. The barriers are deeply logistical, emotional, and psychological, with animal welfare playing a shockingly underreported role in keeping victims trapped.

• The Delay Factor: Nearly half—specifically 48%—of domestic abuse survivors report delaying their decision to leave an abusive environment because they cannot take their pets with them. Abusers frequently use household pets as leverage, threatening, injuring, or killing animals to coerce and control their victims.
• The Shelter Shortage: Despite the clear and present danger facing pets in abusive homes, only 20% of domestic violence shelters nationwide currently accept animals. This forces survivors into an agonizing, impossible choice: stay in a dangerous environment to protect their pet, or flee to safety and abandon their animal to a potentially lethal fate.
• Financial and Institutional Impact: Since its inception in 2019, the Purple Leash Project—spearheaded by Purina in partnership with RedRover—has actively fought to bridge this gap. The initiative has awarded more than $2.2 million in grants to domestic violence shelters across the United States, helping them retrofit, expand, or build pet-friendly accommodations.
• The 2030 Goal: Purina and RedRover are not slowing down. The organizations have set a monumental goal of providing one million safe nights for domestic abuse survivors and their pets combined by the end of 2030.
• Current Funding Push: Amplifying this mission, Purina announced a fall campaign committing to an additional donation of up to $500,000 to RedRover to further expand access to pet-friendly safe spaces.

Official Responses and Corporate Leadership

The partnership between a major consumer goods corporation like Purina and high-profile advocacy platforms highlights a growing shift in corporate social responsibility—where brands leverage their market reach to champion systemic social issues.

Nina Leigh Krueger, CEO of Purina, emphasized why the brand has thrown its full corporate weight behind the Purple Leash Project and why DeSorbo’s personal story struck such a vital chord.

“Paige’s decision to share her story is an extraordinary act of courage, one that can help people who have experienced or are experiencing abuse feel seen and less alone,” Krueger stated following the event. “Her bond with Daphne is also a meaningful reminder of the comfort, connection, and sense of safety pets can bring as people heal from trauma. We are proud to honor Paige and to continue working through the Purple Leash Project to help create more safe spaces where survivors and the pets they love can escape and heal together.”

Molly Sims echoed these sentiments during her introduction, reinforcing that the fight against domestic violence requires dismantling the silence that perpetrators rely on. By using her massive media footprint to discuss the realities of emotional and physical abuse, DeSorbo has stripped away the misplaced shame that burdens so many survivors.

Implications: Changing the Landscape for Survivors and Their Animals

The recognition of Paige DeSorbo at the 2026 Variety Power of Women event carries profound implications that stretch far beyond a single evening in Beverly Hills.

1. Destigmatizing Conversations Around Abuse

For decades, cultural taboos have forced survivors of domestic violence to suffer in silence, plagued by unwarranted feelings of guilt or embarrassment. When public figures with immense reach—such as DeSorbo, Hyland, and Raisman—use their platforms to lay bare their vulnerabilities, it fundamentally shifts public discourse. It sends a clear message to victims watching at home: You are not to blame, and you are not alone.

2. Redefining the Parameters of "Safe Housing"

Historically, domestic violence safe houses and emergency shelters operated under strict human-only policies due to regulatory, logistical, and allergy concerns. However, advocacy campaigns driven by the Purple Leash Project have fundamentally altered how social workers, shelter operators, and legislators view emergency housing. Recognizing that an animal is an integral member of the family—and often the sole emotional anchor for a trauma survivor—has forced a redesign of emergency infrastructure. By funding pet-friendly shelters, the initiative ensures that fleeing victims do not have to leave a vulnerable dependent behind to the mercy of an abuser.

3. Amplifying Animal Welfare as a Human Rights Issue

The nexus between animal abuse and domestic violence is well-documented by criminologists and psychologists; abusers who target pets are often escalating toward human-targeted violence. By framing pet safety as a human safety issue, initiatives like the Purple Leash Project protect both ends of the leash. When a shelter accepts a dog or a cat, it removes one of the most significant psychological barriers keeping a human survivor trapped in a cycle of abuse.

Looking Ahead

As Purina pushes toward its ambitious target of one million safe nights by 2030, and as funds from the newly announced $500,000 campaign begin rolling out to shelters nationwide, the cultural conversation sparked by women like Paige DeSorbo continues to save lives.

For those seeking more information on how to support the initiative, find pet-friendly shelters, or contribute to the cause, resources and donation portals remain active through Purina’s dedicated platform at purina.com/escapetogether.