Michelle Williams Was Told She Didn't Have a Reason to be Depressed
Former Destiny’s Child member, Michelle Williams, shared her experiences growing up with depression on “The Talk” on Wednesday. Williams began experiencing depression between the ages of 13 and 15, with her symptoms peaking around the height of her fame. According to Williams, Destiny’s Child’s manager and Beyonce’s father, Mathew Knowles, told her she didn’t have a reason to be depressed at the peak of the group’s success.
“When I disclosed it to our manager at the time, bless his heart, he was like, ‘You all just signed a multimillion-dollar deal. You’re about to go on tour. What do you have to be depressed about?’” she said on “The Talk”.
His comment led Williams to believe that maybe she was just tired, but Williams said her depression became so bad that she was suicidal.
“So it got really really bad…to the point where I was suicidal,” she said. “I was to that place where it got so dark and heavy because sometimes you feel like, ‘I’m the provider. I take care of people. I’m not supposed to be feeling this way. What do I do?’ I wanted out.”
Williams said doesn’t blame Knowles, adding he wasn’t the only person in her life to tell her she wasn’t depressed — that his response was the “normal” response.
“People think, I think, how Mathew Knowles thought, ‘Oh, if you have XY and Z, you should feel good inside,’ and that’s just not how it works,” co-host Sara Gilbert said.
Williams ended the discussion by saying she wants to normalize the discussion around mental health, and applauded Demi Lovato for talking about her experiences in her new documentary, “Simply Complicated“.
After “The Talk” segment aired, Williams posted on Twitter letting others know it’s OK to seek help for mental health issues.
Thank you @TheTalkCBS for being a safe place to talk about #depression #mentalhealthawareness!! Don’t be afraid to reach out for help!
— Michelle Williams (@RealMichelleW) October 18, 2017
Williams also received a letter from a viewer of “The Talk” and posted it on Instagram with the following caption:
I truly didn’t know what to expect by discussing depression and how dark it was for me! Letters like this comfort me letting me know it’s ok to CONTINUE sharing my story that I actually share with millions of others! Lord I thank you for this opportunity to use my platform to save lives and let people know they’re not odd, crazy, WEAK, or alone…..they just need help and guidance!!
Elizabeth is the reporter at The Mighty. Elizabeth also runs the Elizabeth Explains column of Mighty Brief, The Mighty's daily newsletter. Follow her on twitter @ekcassidy4 or send an email to elizabeth@themighty.com.
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