Meredith Baxter

Having come out as a lesbian in December 2009 on Today, Meredith Baxter returned to the NBC program to make another announcement Tuesday:

She was a victim of domestic violence.

Baxter, best known as the mom on Family Ties, alleged her ex-husband and Bridget Loves Birney co-star, David Birney, abused her in their marriage.

When asked why she stayed with Birney, who denies the allegations, Baxter replied, "I didn't know I had a choice. I didn't know I could go."

She adds that Birney purposefully set his sights on her.

"He's not going to pick someone who's on top of themselves and who's confident and aggressive," she said. "For him to be who he needed to be, it needed to be someone who was mousy and quiet and retiring, and that's what I was."

Meredith Baxter, who played Elyse Keaton on the hit 1980s series Family Ties, came out of the closet this morning as a lesbian, saying it happened "later in life."

Baxter, who's been married to men three times and has five children, revealed on the Today show that she has been in a relationship with a woman for four years.

"I'm a lesbian mom," she says.

The couple lives an "out" life together in L.A., but it had been an open secret of sorts, as she had yet to comment publicly on her sexual orientation until today. 

Meredith Baxter says her children have been nothing but supportive.

Possible reason for the timing? The revelation comes right as National Enquirer released a story saying Baxter recently went on a cruise with 1,200 lesbians.

Meredith Baxter, 62, said the thought of being gay "had never crossed my mind" earlier in life, but at the same time, "I was never comfortable with myself."

We're glad that she is now.