Mariska Hargitay on ‘dealing’ with mother Jayne Mansfield’s death at age of 3

Mariska Hargitay discusses mothers’ death at Hope for Depression Research Foundation ceremony

Mariska Hargitay got candid on “dealing” with the death of her mother, Hollywood diva, Jayne Mansfield at the age of 3.

“I lost my mother when I was 3 years old, and I grew up in a house of people dealing with the tragedy in their own way,’ the 60-year-old actress opened up at the Hope for Depression Research Foundation’s 18th Annual HOPE Luncheon on Tuesday, according to Us Weekly.

“Because there was so much grief, there wasn’t room to prioritise anyone. We didn’t have the tools that we have now to metabolise and understand trauma,” the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star shared.

Actress and former Playboy Playmate, Mansfield tragically lost her life in a car accident in 1967 at age 34. Hargitay, along with two of her siblings, was a passenger in the vehicle at the time.

Hosted at The Plaza Hotel in NYC, Hargitay accepted the 2024 Hope Award for Depression Advocacy at the event.

This year’s luncheon highlighted trauma and recovery, a theme the actress explored deeply in her speech as she discussed the “various traumas” she’s experienced over the years and her journey to overcoming them.

She shared that it was only “much later in life” that she gained the tools to confront her past traumas.

“I also suffered sexual trauma in my 30s, it wasn’t until much later that I found the language to acknowledge it for what it was,” the star shared.