GaTa opens up about his bipolar diagnosis: ‘I wanted to own it’
'Having a support system that I had—they made me feel more comfortable,' the rapper explains.
The name GaTa may be new to some if you aren’t familiar with the FX show Dave. But trust us, this is a name you want to remember.
Gata has stolen the hearts of many with his breakout starring role as the sidekick and hype man to rapper Lil Dicky. theGrio caught up with new actor GaTa to discuss how he is handling quarantine, his battle with bipolar disorder and more.
“Im just staying positive, creative, doing a lot of fan engagement and just thinking about the future and all the things I want to accomplish,” GaTa said when asked how he is dealing with adjusting to the stay-at-home order.
GaTa is new to the acting world, but he does not shy away from discussing his personal mental health battle, which he not only deals with in real life but also on-screen
“Mental health, in general, is a big issue in the Black community, [and] big issue globally across the world,” the entertainer explained. “Everybody deals with it, every human being, and it’s just not spoken upon enough you know. And at first, I’m not gonna lie I didn’t want to put the story out there because I’ve been bipolar for 10 years and it’s a big stigma around it. And I don’t really want to share it.”
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The rapper credits his team and his family for giving him the courage to speak out about his mental health journey.
“You know, just having a support system that I had, like my manager, Mike Herz, Dickey, my mom, and my sister, it made me feel—they made me feel more comfortable. You know with sharing my story,” he revealed.
(L-R) Travis Bennett, Christine Ko, GaTa, Dave Burd, Taylor Misiak, and Andrew Santino attend the FX Networks’ Star Walk Winter Press Tour 2020 at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena on January 09, 2020 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Gregg DeGuire/WireImage)
GaTa also shouted out Grammy award-winning rapper Kanye West for helping him turn his bipolar diagnosis into a positive by calling the disorder a superpower on his 2018 album “Ye.” The actor got emotional when asked what was his turning point in terms of sharing his own story.
“I wanted to own it when I realized that I was hurting people around me man, you know what I mean,” GaTa shared. “I was hurting people like close to me and s***. You know, what I’m saying. Dang, I’m sorry man, I’m about to get teary-eyed right now. I just really wanted to own it when I realized that my disorder was hurting people—like people who love me.”
He went on to explain that he had to “get a grasp on this.”
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“That’s when I’m like alright man, I feel comfortable about this man. I need to like share my story,” he said.
GaTa’s role on the show, and his mission in real life, is to bring mental health awareness to the forefront.
The full interview can be found on our IGTV, as well as a clip from the interview above. You can catch the season finale of Dave at 10 p.m. on FX, as well as stream the entire series via Hulu.
