Lizzo & More Famous Black Women Open About Mental Health

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Throughout the last decade, an increasing number of celebrities have been very open about their past and present mental health struggles—and the steps they take to ensure it’s prioritized.

Lizzo is the latest public figure to reveal her mental health journey, which she shared during a recent performance at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, according to People.

While taking a break between songs at the show on March 12, the singer and rapper said that she struggled with depression back in 2023—which was around the time she was sued by former dancers who alleged she operated a toxic work environment and harassed them.

“About a year and a half ago—it’s so hard for me to talk about—I was in such a dark, deep depression,” the 36-year-old revealed. “I was so heartbroken by the world and so deeply hurt that I didn’t want to live anymore, and I was so deeply afraid of people that I didn’t want to be seen. Eventually, I got over that fear.”

The Grammy winner added that an interaction with a fan while attending a concert gave her the strength to carry on. “Somebody who I didn’t know looked at me and said, ‘Lizzo, I love you.’ And they reached out, and I reached back, and we hugged, and it felt so damn good,” she said.

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“If you’re depressed, reach out to someone who will listen. If you’re mad about the government, reach out to someone else who’s mad about the government and f—king organize,” Lizzo told the crowd.

The “Truth Hurts” artist is in good company, as many other Black women in the spotlight have also shared their mental health struggles.

Here are five others who have opened up about their experiences.

1. Taraji P. Henson

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For several years the 54-year-old actress has been open regarding her struggles with mental health, including the creation of the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation in honor of her father, who also had mental health issues. 

“I broke my silence to free someone else to share their story and ultimately get the support they need,” Henson said in 2018 when she established the foundation, per People.

“It wasn’t easy, especially when you’re in the public space, but it was worth it. When I get DMs on social media from people who have actually received the free therapy and resources my foundation offers, it fills my heart more than anything I’ve done as an artist,” she added.

2. Jenifer Lewis

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Known for her numerous roles as a nurturing mother and grandmother, for years Lewis has used her platform to openly discuss her mental health and living with bipolar disorder, which she was diagnosed with in 1990. In her 2017 memoir, The Mother of Black Hollywood, she revealed her diagnosis for the first time.  

In a 2024 interview with The Sacramento Observer, Lewis, 68, shared how she copes. “I have learned to be forgiving. I worked very hard in therapy, to go down deep inside of myself, and pull the pain out from the root. I tell people, that’s what’s important,” Lewis said.

“This mania and depression and the things that brought it about, you can’t snatch it out like a weed. You’ve got to go down into the root. That’s the work,” she continued.

3. Michelle Williams

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The Destiny’s Child member and Broadway actress revealed in February 2025 that her mental health struggles with depression led her to quit her role in the Broadway show, Once On This Island.

“Back in 2018, I had to leave a Broadway show because of my mental health,” Williams said during her Feb. 3 appearance on Good Morning America. “I thought that door was closed for me to return on Broadway. I thought I blew it. I thought I’d be seen as a liability.”

“I wasn’t as well as I probably should have been, and it just got to the point where I had to check out of the show,” the 43-year-old singer recalled. “To me, that was two blows in the same year. Checking into a treatment facility for depression and then checking out of show, still, because of it.”

4. Simone Biles

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The most decorated gymnast in history and the seven-time Olympic medalist faced an overwhelming amount of scrutiny and criticism when she left the 2020 Tokyo Olympics early after experiencing the “twisties,” which caused significant damage to her mental health. 

Following her gold medal comeback at the Paris Olympics in 2024, Biles, 28, took to social media with a simple sentiment, writing, “Mental health matters,” a response to those who doubted and belittled her decision in Tokyo. 

“For anyone saying I quit I didn’t quit, my mind & body are simply not in sync,” she wrote on Instagram following her Tokyo exit, per Harper’s Bazaar. “As you can see here.”

“I don’t think you realize how dangerous this is on hard/competition surface,” Biles explained. “Nor do I have to explain why I put my health first. Physical health is mental health.”

5. Megan Thee Stallion

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In October 2024, the “Anxiety” rapper partnered with the California Department of Public Health and became a spokesperson for its Never a Bother campaign, which is a youth suicide prevention program, according to Billboard.

“It took me a long time to be comfortable talking about my mental health,” Megan said while speaking in the video for the campaign.

“Asking for help doesn’t make me weak. Asking for help actually built my strength…going to get the help gave me the tools to be stronger. So I just definitely want to talk to the Hotties and let them know it’s OK to ask for help…Hotties, you are never a bother.”

Megan, 30, has also previously shared how her mental health was severely impacted during her shooting trial with rapper Tory Lanez.

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