Prison Break star Wentworth Miller took to Facebook on Monday, to admit he once contemplated suicide after a meme featuring the actor with a few extra pounds was published online.
“Today I found myself the subject of an Internet meme. Not for the first time. This one, however, stands out from the rest,” Miller wrote in a lengthy Facebook post.
The meme in question was posted by LAD Bible’s Facebook page and features side-by-side photos of the actor, one of a Prison Break promotional shot of a fit and shirtless Miller, and the other of heavier frame Miller in a red t-shirt taken in 2010. Miller says at the time he was semi-retired from acting due to his own battles with depression.
“I was keeping a low-profile for a number of reasons. First and foremost, I was suicidal,” he said. “This is a subject I’ve since written about, spoken about, shared about. But at the time I suffered in silence. As so many do. The extent of my struggle known to very, very few. Ashamed and in pain, I considered myself damaged goods. And the voices in my head urged me down the path to self-destruction. Not for the first time.”
Miller went on to say that he would often turn to food as a means of coping with his mental health issues. “I was looking everywhere for relief/comfort/distraction. And I turned to food,” he wrote. “It could have been anything. Drugs. Alcohol. Sex. But eating became the one thing I could look forward to. Count on to get me through.”
The actor revealed he’s now in a better place, although when he first saw the meme “it hurt to breathe.”
“Now, when I see that image of me in my red t-shirt, a rare smile on my face, I am reminded of my struggle,” he added. “My endurance and my perseverance in the face of all kinds of demons. Some within. Some without.”
Miller concluded by urging those suffering from depression to seek help. He also shared links to organizations focused on suicide prevention and depression help.
The LAD Bible Facebook page has since apologized to Miller in another post, writing “we want to say we’ve got this very, very wrong. Mental health is no joke or laughing matter. …Causing distress and upset to innocent or vulnerable people is simply not acceptable.”
