Taraji P Henson says she considered suicide at height of the pandemic

Empire actor said she was in ‘a dark moment’

Taraji P Henson has revealed she considered taking her own life at the height of the pandemic.

The Empire actor recalled her “dark moment” in an episode of Peace of Mind with Taraji, her new Facebook series. During a discussion about mental health with psychologist Dr LaShonda Green, Henson said that she only overcame her “darkness” by verbalising it out loud.

“I was in a dark place,” Henson said. “For a couple of days, I couldn’t get out of the bed, I didn’t care. That’s not me. Then, I started having thoughts about ending it.”

Henson added that she began pondering methods of suicide, and how her death may affect her son. “He’s grown, he’ll get over it,” Henson remembered telling herself.

“I just didn’t care,” she continued. “I felt myself withdrawing. People were calling me, I wasn’t responding … Finally, I’m talking to one of my girlfriends and I knew – I was smart enough to say, ‘I have to say it,’ because a part of me was ashamed. I was like, I don’t want them to think I’m crazy.

“So one day I just blurted it out, to my girlfriend. She called me in the morning and I was like, ‘You know I thought about killing myself last night.’ And, [I said] ‘Oh my god, I feel so much better. I’m not gonna do it now.’”

“It is very normal to feel lonely, to not want to do it anymore,” Green replied, adding that the coronavirus pandemic has only increased the likelihood of people experiencing mental health struggles. “There are so many things that we think are wrong, or are unhealthy, that are absolutely normal … People are isolated and cut off, and you don’t have to believe every thought you have.”

Taraji P Henson at October’s Billboard Music Awards (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

In October, Henson was honoured by the philanthropic organisation Ruderman Family Foundation for helping to “end the stigma around mental illness”.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.