Madison Beer is opening up about one of the most painful experiences of her early fame—having her private nude photos leaked as a teenager. In a candid new interview with Cosmopolitan, the singer-songwriter revealed that the boy involved in the scandal has since apologized.

The incident occurred when Beer was just 15 years old. She had sent disappearing Snapchats to a boy she was dating at the time, but those private photos and videos were later shared online, spreading across platforms like Twitter and Tumblr. The leak led to intense cyberbullying and public shaming, pushing her into what she describes as a “depression spiral.”

“Out of everything I went through as a result of my sudden rise to fame, having my private nude photos leaked at 15 was one of the most traumatizing,” Beer wrote in her memoir, The Half of It. “It still haunts me almost a decade later.”

In her Cosmo interview, the Grammy-nominated artist revealed a surprising update: the boy involved reached out to apologize.

“He was like, ‘I had no idea that I hurt you like this. I’m so sorry,’” Beer shared.

While she doesn’t excuse the actions, Beer expressed a degree of empathy, noting, “I don’t know how it feels to be a 14-year-old boy receiving photos of a girl. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I don’t think he was being malicious. He was a kid.”

The 26-year-old also reflected on the emotional toll the experience took on her mental health and personal relationships. She’s since had to confront people from her past, demanding accountability for the harm they caused.

“I’ve had to sit people down and say, ‘You owe me an apology for what you did to me when I was a kid,’” she said. “A lot of the others—I’ve completely cut ties. I don’t need to be cool with them.”

Madison Beer’s emotional maturity and resilience shine as she reclaims her narrative—both in her memoir and in public interviews—proving she’s no longer defined by the trauma of her past.