Wentworth Miller, the actor best known for his role as Michael Scofield in the Fox series Prison Break, recently took to Facebook to voice his thoughts on a cruel meme gone viral featuring him.
The meme in question shows a side-by-side body comparison of Wentworth and is body shaming in its purest form. The meme is captioned “when you break out of prison and find out about McDonald’s monopoly,” poking fun at Wentworth’s weight gain in the second picture from 2010.
Wentworth was, understandably, unamused by the meme, which has received over 100,000 likes.
In response, Wentworth penned a powerful note, saying,
“Today I found myself the subject of an Internet meme. Not for the first time. This one, however, stands out from the rest. In 2010, semi-retired from acting, I was keeping a low profile for a number of reasons. First and foremost, I was suicidal. 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 extend of my struggle was known to very, very few.”
He went on to admit how deeply affected he was by his bout with depression, writing,
“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. I’ve struggled with depression since childhood. It’s a battle that’s cost me time, opportunities, relationships, and a thousand sleepless nights.”
In conclusion, he explained what led to his weight gain and then said that he is glad the pictures from 2010 survived, as they constantly remind him of the struggle he went through and overcame.
“In 2010, at the lowest point in my adult life, I was looking everywhere for relief/comfort/distraction. And I turn to food. 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. There were stretches when the highlight of my week was a favorite meal and a new episode of TOP CHEF. Sometimes that was enough. Had to be … Long story short, I survived…So do those pictures. I’m glad. 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. My endurance and my perseverance in the face of all kinds of demons. Some within. Some without.”
This just goes to show that celebrities, no matter how rich and famous they are, are real people too. Treat them as such. They all have feelings and they have hardships just like the rest of us.
What are your thoughts on Wentworth’s statement? Comment below or tweet us @CelebMix