In a deeply personal and emotional appearance at the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation’s inaugural I Am the Table Benefit Brunch on Sunday, hip-hop superstar Megan Thee Stallion opened up about the profound grief and trauma that nearly consumed her during her meteoric rise to fame, revealing the critical moment when she recognized she needed professional help.
The Houston-born rapper, whose legal name is Megan Pete, sat down for an intimate conversation with Academy Award-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson, where she broke down while describing the overwhelming sadness that threatened to derail not just her career but also her will to live.
“Through all of that grief, I was just working and trying to be the best Megan I could be,” the 29-year-old artist said, her voice breaking with emotion. “And I didn’t know I needed therapy until one day, I was just like, ‘Damn, I’m really sad, and it’s really scary how sad I am.’ And it was like, I didn’t care what happened to me. And I didn’t want to feel like that, like I should care about my life.”
The raw confession comes from an artist who has weathered a succession of devastating personal tragedies while simultaneously maintaining a chart-topping career. In March 2019, Megan lost her mother, Holly Thomas, to a brain tumor. Thomas had been not only her parent but also her manager and closest confidant, leaving the young rapper to navigate the music industry’s treacherous waters alone while processing profound grief.
That loss was compounded just over a year later when, in July 2020, Megan became a victim of gun violence in an incident that would dominate headlines for years. She was shot by fellow rapper Tory Lanez, real name Daystar Peterson, in what became one of the music industry’s most high-profile and contentious criminal cases.
The subsequent trial subjected Megan to intense public scrutiny and widespread skepticism on social media, with critics questioning her account of events despite her status as the victim. Lanez was ultimately convicted and sentenced to ten years in prison.
Rather than retreating from public life, Megan has channeled her pain into purpose, becoming one of the entertainment industry’s most prominent mental health advocates. Her efforts were formally recognized when the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ nonprofit organization focused on suicide prevention among young people, honored her with the 2025 Mental Health Champion award.
“I’m honored to receive this year’s Mental Health Champion award from The Trevor Project,” Megan said in a statement. “My goal has always been to use my platform to help break stigmas around mental health and provide resources for those seeking safe spaces to have honest and heartfelt conversations.”
Her advocacy work extends beyond accepting awards. In 2022, at the height of her career following multiple Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers, Megan launched “Bad B—hes Have Bad Days Too,” a comprehensive wellness website offering mental health resources, crisis hotlines, and therapy contacts specifically designed for young people. The initiative’s name cleverly subverts her own confident public persona to acknowledge that even the seemingly strongest individuals struggle with mental health challenges.
The following year, Megan contributed to the “Seize the Awkward” campaign, a national effort aimed at breaking down the stigma surrounding mental health conversations and encouraging young people to check in on friends who may be struggling.
Sunday’s appearance at the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation event was particularly fitting, as the organization—founded by Henson and named after her late father—is dedicated to eradicating the stigma around mental health issues in the African American community and providing resources for those in need of support.
Megan’s willingness to share her darkest moments represents a significant shift in hip-hop culture, where vulnerability has traditionally been viewed as weakness and mental health struggles have often been dismissed or hidden. By speaking openly about her journey through grief, trauma, and recovery, she’s helping to create space for a new generation of artists and fans to prioritize their mental well-being without shame.
As she continues to dominate charts and stages worldwide, Megan Thee Stallion is proving that true strength lies not in pretending pain doesn’t exist, but in having the courage to confront it, seek help, and use one’s platform to help others do the same.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Megan Thee Stallion has transformed personal tragedy into powerful advocacy. After losing her mother in 2019 and surviving a shooting in 2020, the rapper reached a breaking point where she “didn’t care what happened” to her life.
That moment led her to therapy and inspired her to become a leading mental health advocate in hip-hop. Through her “Bad B—hes Have Bad Days Too” wellness platform and recent Mental Health Champion award from the Trevor Project, she’s breaking the stigma around mental health in Black communities and proving that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
