One could argue that within the past several years, the conversation surrounding mental health has expanded immensely. Amid that, a number of high-profile celebrities have been candid about their own struggles in an attempt to raise awareness. Said testimonies also have the potential to help those who are dealing with issues. Filmmaker and beloved fanboy Kevin Smith is now one of the latest stars to open about his health. He got incredibly while discussing his recent crisis, which he describes as a “scary” experience.
Kevin Smith has easily solidified himself as one of the most positive forces within the entertainment industry and exudes that energy across his social media platforms. However, like so many people, he still deals with emotional baggage, and it would seem that he dealt with a particularly taxing situation this month. The Clerks helmer opened up about what happened during a lengthy conversation with People. And Smith didn’t mince words when describing just how he felt:
For the last month, I have been at a mental health facility. In the parlance of our times, I went crazy. I lost my marbles. I had a complete break with reality and became very dissociative. … At that moment, I wouldn't have been averse to not being around any longer. I called a friend and said, 'I'm in a weird, dark place. I need to go somewhere and get help.'
From there, the fan-favorite director opened up about an instance of sexual abuse that he experienced when he was just six years old. He remembered being with a female friend of his, who was also six at the time, when they crossed paths with an older kid. Kevin Smith was unfamiliar with the bigger child, as he may have been a tourist visiting for the summer. While they were in a secluded alley, said youth apparently made Smith and his friend put their mouths on each other’s genitals and was preparing to have them do the same to him. However, that act was prevented by an adult who spotted the group and chased off the young stranger. Smith says that he didn’t discuss the unfortunate run-in out of fear. But in time, he would allude to the moment as him having “played Doctor.” That notion was challenged when he entered the facility:
I was talking to my trauma therapist Kelly Parks, and I told her the story. She stops me dead, we were walking around the track, and she goes ‘Kevin, that’s sexual abuse.’ And I said ‘No it’s not, we’re playing doctor.’ And she goes ‘Doctor is I’ll show you mine, you show me yours. There’s a third party instructing you what to do, and it’s against your will. That’s sexual abuse.’ And so [that] blew my mind.
That piece of vital information from his therapist left the Mallrats star out of sorts, as he wondered why he wouldn’t have acknowledged that what he’d experienced was sexual abuse. As Dr. Parks explained, the “Doctor” explanation was simply a coping mechanism he used to deal with the trauma. The Comic Book Men creator went on to say that even after he had the context, he continued to minimize the situation while he was in the facility:
When I was in Sierra Tuscon at first, I didn’t want to really talk about the traumas that I suffered because I felt they were small. I was in a facility where they also had veterans, members of a program called Red White and Blue, men and women who have been overseas been in service and seen action and suffer from PTSD and other afflictions.
Kevin Smith Talks ‘Clerks III,' Ben Affleck, Bruce Willis & More
Nevertheless, Kevin Smith did open up about the sexual abuse as well as a number of other traumatic moments that he faced during his childhood. One of those memories involved him being body-shamed by his fourth-grade teacher, while another saw a kid doing the same thing to him while on the playground. These can’t be easy recollections to discuss, but it’s incredibly brave of Smith to discuss them in such a public manner.
It’s been encouraging to see so many stars open up about their own experiences with mental health. Arnold Schwarzenegger got candid as of late, imploring his fans to treat their minds just as they would their bodies. Marvel star Simu Liu also discussed the “exhaustion” and mental struggles he felt after the release of Shang-Chi. Sharna Burgess And Brian Austin Green helped raise awareness, too, as both were deeply affected by the sudden death of Stephen “tWitch” Boss.
For his part, Kevin Smith has never shied away from discussing his personal experiences, from the massive heart attack he suffered in 2018 to the weight loss journey he embarked upon afterwards. I personally hope that his stories inspire others and wish him all the best during this period of internal exploration that he’s experiencing.
