This Wednesday, while guest-co-hosting on The Talk, Michelle Williams opened up about her past experiences with depression. Adding to a discussion about Demi Lovato’s openness with her mental-health struggles, the R & B singer revealed that she had suffered from the condition while in Destiny’s Child. “For years I’m in one of the top-selling female groups of all time suffering with depression,†Williams said. “When I disclosed it to our manager at the time — bless his heart — he was like, ‘y’all just signed a multi-million dollar deal, you’re about to go on tour, what do you have to be depressed about?’â€
Williams was quick to absolve the group’s manager — Beyoncé’s father, Mathew Knowles — for not understanding the depth of her condition. Williams says that she didn’t realize that it was depression until she was in her 30s. She explained that, by 2013,“I was suicidal.†She continued, “I was to that place where it got so dark and heavy because sometimes you feel like ‘I’m the provider, I take care of people, I’m not supposed to be feeling this way — what do I do?’ I wanted out.â€
Williams told the other hosts that she hopes that by talking about her experience she can help “normalize†the discussion around mental health.