Tamar Braxton thanks Taraji P. Henson for ‘safe space’ to ‘tell my story’
'I was so broken I didn’t know what area to fix first.'
Tamar Braxton appeared on Taraji P. Henson’s new Facebook Watch show on Monday to get candid about her suicide attempt. Afterwards, she hit up social media to thank the actress for providing a safe space to speak her truth.
“Thank you for not only having me on your show but creating a safe place to tell parts of my story so others can see the signs that I didn’t see. I was so jacked up back then, that I had no idea that It was ok to feel. You have to feel So you can heal,” Braxton wrote in a lengthy message addressed to Henson on Instagram.
“I was so broken I didn’t know what area to fix first. You started this show and foundation because you know many like me was embarrassed, ashamed, and lost And had nowhere to turn.. I’m so proud to be apart of such a powerful conversation that you have started,” she added.
Read More: Taraji P. Henson nabs talk show focused on mental wellness on Facebook Watch
theGRIO previously reported, Henson’s new series, titled Peace of Mind with Taraji, will focus on mental wellness – particularly in the Black community. Through interviews with celebrities, experts, and everyday people, the series will show how to provide support, bring awareness, and help eliminate the stigmas of mental health issues.
Each episode will focus on a different mental health topic with multiple content drops per week. The series is co-hosted by Henson’s longtime BFF, Tracie Jade Jenkins, the executive director of Henson’s Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation.
Braxton appeared on the show to dish about her mental health journey. The singer was hospitalized in July following a suicide attempt at her Ritz-Carlton Residences in Los Angeles. Braxton was transferred to a mental health facility and has since been on a road to mental health recovery.
“I just felt choked, because it was no escape,” Tamar explained on Peace of Mind with Taraji on Monday (Dec. 21). “I just didn’t see another way out. I wanted to die. Everything was going wrong.”
The singer then noted the personal drama that contributed to her downward spiral.
“I had no relationship with my family. I was estranged from my sisters, including my mother,” she said. “My relationship with my fiancé at the time was out of control. I saw no signs of nothing.”
Read More: Taraji P. Henson set to make directorial debut with new comedy
Braxton said a huge sign that something wasn’t quite right with her was when she gained 50 pounds.
“I didn’t even recognize myself anymore. That should have been such a huge sign to me that something is wrong,” said The Real alum.
Braxton also confessed that she thought her son, 7-year-old Logan, would be better off without her.
“Logan was the reason why I made that decision,” she said of her attempt to end her life over the summer. “I just felt like he deserved better. I felt like I was embarrassing him, being a fool on TV.”
After the show, Braxton said Henson’s new Facebook series “isn’t about being entertained,” she wrote on Instagram. “It’s about being informed.”
“Thank you for opportunity to keep me under construction and while others watch, may they go and get the help they need to feel, and be healed and be seen like me,” she added.
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