Reese Witherspoon recently shared candid reflections on her challenging experience with postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter Ava Phillippe. The Morning Show star revealed these struggles during an interview, providing insight into mental health difficulties she faced as a young mother in addition to her lifelong battle with depression and anxiety.
Early Motherhood and Unexpected Emotional Struggles
During her conversation with Harper’s Bazaar, Reese Witherspoon described how the first six months following Ava’s birth were marked by intense emotional highs and lows. She explained that the hormonal changes coupled with exhaustion contributed to a severe depressive episode that caught her by surprise. The actress said she was “simultaneously happy and depressed,” frequently overwhelmed by tears and sleepless nights.
As a young mother at age 23, Witherspoon also encountered pressure from external opinions on parenting, feeding, and childbirth. Reflecting on this time, she noted the immense challenge of balancing others’ expectations while navigating her own mental health. Despite the overwhelm, she felt fortunate to have access to mental health care and support that many others do not.
Influence of Family and Ongoing Mental Health Journey
Witherspoon credited her mother, Betty Reese, for helping her recognize and manage symptoms of depression, a tendency she inherited from her grandmother, Dorothea Draper. She acknowledged that her struggles with anxiety and depression began in her teenage years but believes these challenges have also contributed to her professional success.
The actress said,
“I was probably successful because I had so much anxiety. They go hand in hand. I had pressured myself to extreme levels to show up at work in a perfect way. We all now know — perfect is not attainable. It’s not sustainable. I stressed myself out in service of my job, and it got me really, really far.”
She further added,
“I’m rewarded for my anxiety and perfectionism.”
As she grows older, Witherspoon is embracing a more compassionate mindset toward herself, recognizing her achievements and the fortunate opportunities in her life.
“I’m starting to relax into the idea that I’m enough,”
she said.
“I’ve had an abundance of good fortune, great work opportunities and worked with some of the greatest people on Earth.”
Mental Health Advocacy Among Celebrities
Alongside Reese Witherspoon, numerous public figures have spoken out about their mental health challenges, aiming to break stigmas and encourage others to seek help.
Gucci Mane’s Journey with Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia
Rapper Gucci Mane disclosed battling bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in his 2025 memoir Episodes: The Diary of a Recovering Mad Man, which detailed a mental health crisis in 2020. He emphasized personal accountability in managing his health, admitting his commitment to therapy and medication.
He reflected,
“After that, I was like, ‘Man, I got to really just hold myself accountable and take care of my health.’ I don’t never want to have an episode again. I’m gonna see a therapist, [even] if I have to take medicine.”
Gucci Mane’s family life, including his wife Keyshia Ka’Oir and children Ice Davis and Iceland Ka’oir Davis, played a pivotal role in motivating him to seek treatment.
“My wife was pregnant with my little boy,”
he said.
“I don’t want to raise a family and then my mental health [is] gone. What if I have an episode I can’t come back from? So, I just started doing the work and started seeking help.”
Penn Badgley’s Battle with Body Dysmorphia and Self-Worth
Actor Penn Badgley, known for his role on Gossip Girl, opened up about suffering from body dysmorphia, particularly during childhood. He shared how his self-image and perceptions of success were deeply intertwined with conventional standards of beauty, which worsened after his parents’ divorce.
He revealed,
“I know that I hated my body and simply wanted a different one.”
He added,
“There was just a period where, coming out of depression and isolation, I was jumping wilfully into, but also being thrust into, this world where the more conventionally beautiful I seemed, the more successful I might be, the more value I might have.”
Penn credits spirituality with helping him persevere through these challenges and find inner transformation.
Eliza Coupe’s Struggles with Food and Body Image
Eliza Coupe publicly discussed her difficult relationship with food, describing behaviors including excessive exercising and bouts of bulimia. She traced the turning point in her health to the age of 23 when she eliminated sugar, stopped drinking, and embraced yoga and mindful breathing.
“Some may call it an eating disorder, I just call it my life,”
Coupe said.
“My drug of choice was always food. I did crazy s–t with it.”
Regarding her recovery, she noted,
“When I was 23, I cut all sugar out of my diet, quit drinking, and found yoga and breathing and stretching. That’s the best Ritalin you could give anyone.”
She continues to work toward healing her relationship with body image and physical wellness.
Candace Cameron Bure’s Candid Talk on Depression
Actress Candace Cameron Bure reflected on the difficulty of discussing depression even with close confidants. She expressed feelings of vulnerability and a sense that admitting weakness is challenging for her.
She shared,
“It’s very difficult to speak out about it, even to your most trusted people. At least for me, I feel like I should be strong enough to overcome that and then it feels so weak.”
Billie Eilish’s Advice on Mental Health and Self-Patience
Grammy-winning singer Billie Eilish has openly discussed her approach to preserving her mental well-being amid public scrutiny. She emphasizes self-patience as a critical part of healing.
“When people ask me what I’d say to somebody looking for advice on mental health, the only thing I can say is patience,”
she told Vogue.
“I had patience with myself. I didn’t take that last step. I waited. Things fade.”
Katy Perry’s Experience During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Pop star Katy Perry described the complicated emotions tied to the pandemic’s new realities, including waves of depression triggered by isolation.
Perry wrote on Twitter,
“Sometimes I don’t know what’s worse trying to avoid the virus or the waves of depression that come with this new norm.”
She also shared how her car became a refuge during these trying times:
“There is not really anywhere to go besides my car. So I go to my car a lot. That is my safe space.”
Kendall Jenner’s Anxiety and Advocacy
Model and mental health advocate Kendall Jenner spoke about coping with anxiety and the importance of seeking information and support. After experiencing recurring panic attacks, she actively raised awareness by collaborating with The Mental Health Coalition.
She explained,
“Finally kind of got the information that I needed about it.”
Jenner added,
“For me, I have good days and I have some really anxious days, so I’m really off and on. What I hope to accomplish is for people to not feel as alone.”
Dwayne Johnson on Breaking Men’s Mental Health Stigma
Actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has publicly addressed his experiences with depression, encouraging men to open up and seek help despite societal pressures to stay silent.
He tweeted,
“We all go thru the sludge/shit and depression never discriminates. Took me a long time to realize it but the key is to not be afraid to open up, especially us dudes have a tendency to keep it in. You’re not alone.”
Prince Harry’s Openness About Therapy
The Duke of Sussex has played a prominent role in reducing the stigma surrounding mental health by discussing his own therapy journey. In an interview, he observed that speaking openly connects people through shared struggles.
He said,
“The experience I have had is that once you start talking about it, you realize that actually you’re part of quite a big club.”
Taraji P. Henson’s Mental Health Activism
Empire star Taraji P. Henson has openly talked about her depression and the importance of professional support, crediting therapy as essential to her coping.
She shared,
“I have a therapist that I speak to. That’s the only way I can get through it.”
Taraji also founded The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, which aims to reduce stigma about mental illness within the African American community and increase the availability of Black therapists.
Lorde’s Mental Health and Gender Identity Insights
Singer Lorde revealed her use of MDMA and psilocybin therapy to address stage fright and an eating disorder. She described a transformative experience that deepened her connection to music and altered her understanding of gender after discontinuing birth control.
Lorde said,
“I was touring without stage fright for the first time. There was a hook around my guts and everyone in the room was having the same feeling, [like] there’d been a huge pressure change. It made me realize how much I love and kind of need that very deep, visceral response to feel my music.”
Regarding her gender perception, she added,
“I felt like stopping taking my birth control, I had cut some sort of cord between myself and this regulated femininity. It sounds crazy, but I felt that all of a sudden, I was off the map of femininity. And I totally believed that that allowed things to open up.”
Lili Reinhart’s Early Mental Health Struggles and Support System
The Riverdale actress Lili Reinhart has acknowledged her longstanding battle with severe anxiety and depression, crediting family and therapy for saving her life.
She posted,
“When I was in middle school, I was struggling with severe anxiety and depression and the help and support I received from my family and a therapist saved my life. Asking for help is the first step. You are more precious to this world than you’ll ever know.”
Carly Pearce’s Long-Term OCD and Anxiety Challenges
Country singer Carly Pearce shared how anxiety increased during her divorce and the COVID-19 pandemic but pointed out her experience with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) began in childhood.
She explained,
“I would have told you three years ago my anxiety started during my divorce in Covid. But I’ve had crippling OCD since I was a child.”
Carly described overcoming denial and returning to therapy:
“I got really conditioned over the last 10 years to just zip it up and deal with it, and it just kind of got to a place where a couple years ago I just had to really start back into therapy, start really, like, trying to figure out all of these different things. Like, recognizing OCD was something—no, that didn’t come in 2020, that’s been there since I was 6 or 7.”
Kristen Bell’s Strategies for Managing Mental Health
Frozen star Kristen Bell has long spoken about using a variety of strategies to cope with mental health difficulties, including medication, gratitude exercises, and physical activity. She encourages finding individualized methods that work best for each person.
Chrissy Teigen’s Openness About Postpartum Depression
Model and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen has been vocal about the postpartum depression she faced after becoming a mother, emphasizing how important it is to acknowledge and talk openly about this issue.
She wrote,
“It got easier and easier to say it aloud every time. I want people to know it can happen to anybody and I don’t want people who have it to feel embarrassed or to feel alone.”
Cara Delevingne’s Story of Depression and Self-Reliance
Model and actress Cara Delevingne revealed her teenage battles with depression and suicidal thoughts, explaining how she learned to find happiness within herself rather than relying on others.
She told The Edit magazine,
“I relied too much on love, too much on other people to make me happy, and I needed to learn to be happy by myself. So now I can be by myself, I can be happy. It took me a long time.”
Ariana Grande’s Emphasis on Therapy for Healing
Pop artist Ariana Grande has encouraged her fans to seek therapy when needed and stressed the importance of addressing trauma and mental health struggles openly.
Responding to a tweet, she said,
“lmaoaoo this is funny as f–k but in all honesty therapy has saved my life so many times.”
She advised, “If you’re afraid to ask for help, don’t be, u don’t have to be in constant pain & u can process trauma. I’ve got a lot of work to do but it’s a start to even be aware
Got tons of responses to this. Thank you. We all go thru the sludge/shit and depression never discriminates. Took me a long time to realize it but the key is to not be afraid to open up. Especially us dudes have a tendency to keep it in. You’re not alone
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) April 2, 2018
https://twitter.com/ArianaGrande/status/1059482452819755008
