This week, actresses Jenifer Lewis and Keke Palmer sat down for the “Baby, It’s Keke Palmer” podcast, and the energy between the two is almost palpable through the screen. In between the extravagant storytelling, filled with comedic facial expressions and ad-libs, the “Black-ish” star sprinkled nuggets of wisdom throughout the conversation that had Palmer going from leaning over, laughing, to sitting back and listening with the utmost respect.
Just as she shared funny stories of her time working on “Jackie’s Back” and even going on a date with Robert Townsend Jr., Lewis reflected on her mental health journey—particularly the events that led her to getting treatment for her bipolar disorder. In the 1980s, the United States experienced an AIDS epidemic, where the chronic disease Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was taking the lives of people across the country at a rapid rate.
“I had known 200 people that died. And when I tell you they died like flies, they dropped like flies. I mean, you’d come home, and three would be dead. You come home, five would be dead on the phone machine,” Lewis told Palmer. “It didn’t make sense because we were too young to experience that kind of death. You can deal with that when you’re wiser and older, and your older friends are dying. We were in our 20s for God’s sake.”
And after grieving so many losses, the iconic actress revealed that she had a nervous breakdown in the early 90s. Though she recalls going into treatment “kicking and screaming” as a result of her manic state, Lewis says it was a respected friend who prompted her to get the help that she needed. Now, as an AIDS and mental health advocate, the actress stresses the importance of seeking treatment, talking to someone, and managing one’s mental health.
“I went and treated bipolar disorder. I went and took care of myself. I did the work because I wanted to enjoy the fruits of my labor,” she shared. “I have the it factor, Keke. So do you. You don’t throw that away. Do you know how many of us have killed ourselves because we couldn’t handle it in this business?”
“I didn’t want to kill myself cuz I was bipolar and so manic,” she added. “It wasn’t until everybody that life got real and the AIDS epidemic hit where I went, ‘Wait a minute. Wait a minute. There’s got to be more to life than just me clawing at the void of who am I and what am I?’ [So I told myself], how about we go find out, Jenny? Let’s go find out who you are. Let’s go find out where you belong. Let’s go find out why you came here. Let’s go find out who you can help. Let’s go find out who you love. Let’s go find out what love is. Let’s go do the work.”
Intentionally teetering back and forth between comedy and wisdom, Lewis says her honesty, storytelling, and advocacy are rooted in wanting to support the next generation.
“I wanted you to learn from it,” she told Palmer. “I got everything I wanted because I told the truth. If you hold it in, you’re going to eat yourself to death. If you hold it in, you’re going to drink yourself to death. If you hold it in, you’re going to get high yourself to death. If you do the work, it doesn’t matter what you are, it will always come down to who you are.”
She concluded: “I’m going to leave y’all the fruits of all of my labor. I’m going to give y’all the wisdom of the ages. I’m going to tell it all.”
