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Trisha Paytas fans are running to the YouTuber’s defense after her recent interview on Rainn Wilson’s podcast, Soul Boom.
During the episode, which was released on October 1, Paytas spoke about her mental health and a psychotic break she experienced in September of 2021.
However, fans viewed The Office actor’s response to the Just Trish podcaster as mocking and condescending.
“I went online, it’s deleted now. I went on Twitter, it wasn’t even YouTube, and I was screaming, sobbing, like I couldn’t control myself – I couldn’t breathe,” Paytas said about a video she posted during the mental breakdown. “Just like shouting at people to leave me alone.”
Wilson then cut her off to clarify what had happened as he said, “Let me just pause you right there. What is it about you... and I’m trying to really understand this: ‘I’m so activated, I’m so triggered, I’m so angry, I’m so overwhelmed, I’m about to just lose my s***, I’m gonna have a psychotic break. But I gotta log in and hit live stream and put it on the tripod – and make sure my light is on. Now I’m going to have the psychotic break.’
“What’s the deal with that, though? What is that impulse? Is it ‘cause you’re getting that reward from doing it? The more you have nervous breakdowns online, then the money truck backs up?”
Paytas responded that in the past she might have done it for money, but she chose Twitter (now known as X) specifically because the content could not be monetized, so she was not making any money off of that post.
She also revealed that she has borderline personality disorder, which may have affected the way she decides to handle specific situations.
“I have trouble regulating my emotions,” Paytas told the podcast host. “I thought relationships were more intense than they were. I would have these fantasies, but also, like, I would disassociate at the same time. So there was delusion, disassociation, and a lot happening.”
Continuing to take a mocking tone, Wilson said elsewhere in the podcast: “Three years without a gigantic online breakdown... feel free to have one here, though!”
People have since turned to TikTok to reshare clips from the podcast calling out Wilson for his lack of empathy.
“Rainn Wilson did not do his research, she was never worried about her setup and looks,” one user wrote. “I feel so bad for Trish during this. Why is he condescending.”
“@trishapaytas I’m glad you didn’t open up too much, I think he was mocking you and I didn’t think it was very nice. Love u, girl, if you want to do a tell-all interview have Oscar do it. I’m always team Trish!” another TikToker named @cootyqueen13 wrote.
“If you actually watched her videos, she looked a wreck most of the time because she was a wreck on the inside,” she said.
Paytas commented underneath the video to thank her, writing, “Thank you for this. And your support. I really appreciate it. I don’t think he was familiar at all with this part of my life like you mentioned. It’s a lot of lore to keep up with.”
However, some people didn’t view Wilson’s comments as “mocking” and thought he came across as more curious.
“I think it’s a good question. He’s just trying to understand her. It doesn’t come off as mean to me,” one TikTok comment read.
Another commenter agreed, “This is how an interview works. Don’t see what the issue is.”
A third pointed out that this is normal behavior for the actor, writing, “If you listen to any other episode of his podcast you’ll find that this is how Rainn speaks when he’s looking for understanding. I frankly love them both and I don’t get why everyone’s bothered.”
