Deaf actress Marlee Matlin said she was deeply upset at reports that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump Donald John TrumpOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Pelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Trump mocks Biden appearance, mask use ahead of first debate MORE called her "retarded."

“The term is abhorrent and should never be used,” she said in a statement. "The fact that we are talking about this during a very important moment in American history has upset me deeply.

ADVERTISEMENT

“As a person who is deaf, as a woman, as a mom, as a wife, as an actor, I have a voice. And I’m using that voice to make myself heard ... and vote.”

Matlin, who supports Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonButtigieg stands in as Pence for Harris's debate practice Senate GOP sees early Supreme Court vote as political booster shot Poll: 51 percent of voters want to abolish the electoral college MORE, added such behavior is not unusual.

“There are millions of deaf and hard of hearing people like me, in the United States and around the world, who face discrimination and misunderstanding like this on a daily basis. It is unacceptable.”

Reports emerged Thursday that Trump repeatedly called Matlin a “retard” and mocked her deafness when she was a contestant on the 2011 season of his reality television show "Celebrity Apprentice."

Trump praised the actress in aired footage of the show but purportedly insulted her behind the scenes.

“[Trump] would often equate that she was retarded,” one source told The Daily Beast.

Another staffer on Trump’s program recalled finding a note on which the billionaire had written: "Marlee, is she retarded?”

Matlin won the Academy Award for Best Actress following her role in the 1986 film “Children of a Lesser God,” making her the only deaf performer ever to win the award.

Trump’s past remarks toward women are under fresh scrutiny following the release of a controversial audio recording a week ago.

The 2005 tape captured Trump discussing his failed sexual advances on a married woman and groping women’s genitals without consent.

Multiple women have since accused Trump of kissing or touching them without permission before his entrance into politics.