Manti Te’o hoaxer opens up in first interview, apologizes for everything

Feb 2, 2013 08:57 GMT  ·  By

The second part of Dr. Phil’s interview with the Manti Te’o hoaxer Ronaiah Tuiasosopo aired just hours ago and, according to the Huffington Post, it offered some clues as to why he did not see anything wrong with pretending to be a woman and emotionally manipulating the Notre Dame star for years.

Earlier previews had already revealed that Tuiasosopo had become infatuated with Te’o, even though he refused to describe himself as gay.

In the interview, he also reveals that he was molested as a child and, while he won’t name any names, he does suggest the man was a friend of his father’s.

“I felt that I couldn't do things, accomplish things, pursue things, live out as Ronaiah. And I felt the need to create this. It has everything to do with what I went through as a child,” he says.

“When I looked at Lennay through Manti's eyes, I got a glimpse of who I was as far as my heart,” he explains.

Lennay is the woman he created to romance Manti, whom he “killed” last year.

Above is a video of Tuiasosopo explaining how the experience has changed him.