Prison Break star Wentworth Miller just became our personal hero, with this emotional open letter which details his reaction to a nasty fat-shaming meme.

Wentworth Miller, who currently stars on Legends of Tomorrow and will return for a Prison Break reunion soon, went through a tough time after Prison Break ended in 2009.

During this time he also put on some weight. The internet noticed and, being the internet, proceeded to mock and shame as only the internet can.

Yesterday, this was brought back up by The LAD Bible on Facebook, who posted the following:

Wentworth Miller’s response was immediate and extremely powerful. Read it below:

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 extent of my struggle known to very, very few.

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 2010, at the lowest point in my adult life, I was looking everywhere for relief/comfort/distraction. And I turned 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.

And I put on weight. Big f–king deal.

One day, out for a hike in Los Angeles with a friend, we crossed paths with a film crew shooting a reality show. Unbeknownst to me, paparazzi were circling. They took my picture, and the photos were published alongside images of me from another time in my career. “Hunk To Chunk.” “Fit To Flab.” Etc.
My mother has one of those “friends” who’s always the first to bring you bad news. They clipped one of these articles from a popular national magazine and mailed it to her. She called me, concerned.

In 2010, fighting for my mental health, it was the last thing I needed.

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.

Like a dandelion up through the pavement, I persist.

Anyway. Still. Despite.

The first time I saw this meme pop up in my social media feed, I have to admit, it hurt to breathe. But as with everything in life, I get to assign meaning. And the meaning I assign to this/my image is Strength. Healing. Forgiveness.

Of myself and others.

If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Reach out. Text. Send an email. Pick up the phone. Someone cares. They’re waiting to hear from you. Much love. – W.M. ‪#‎koalas‬ ‪#‎inneractivist‬ ‪#‎prisonbroken‬

www.afsp.org
www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
www.activeminds.org
www.thetrevorproject.org
www.iasp.info

In the statement, Miller reveals that not only was he depressed during this time, but he also struggled with suicidal thoughts. He turned to food for comfort, and notes that it may as well have been drugs or alcohol.

Fat shaming is the easiest thing in the world because it’s superficially based on appearance. It’s easy to forget that over-eating is like any other addiction; it can become a coping method, without which the struggles of everyday life can seem insurmountable.

Wentworth Miller’s powerful response perfectly summed it up, and we appreciate him taking a stand.

His message also prompted The LAD Bible to respond:

Wentworth Miller,

We posted two pictures of you last night to our Facebook page, but today we want to say we’ve got this very, very wrong. Mental health is no joke or laughing matter.

We certainly didn’t want to cause you pain by reminding you of such a low point in your life. Causing distress and upset to innocent or vulnerable people is simply not acceptable.

TheLADbible continues to cover how prevalent mental health issues are among our audience, as well as the damaging stigma that surrounds such matters.

We applaud your raw honesty and promise to now cover such matters in the responsible manner that our audience expects.

Responding head-on to our post is something we applaud as it will help others through similar challenges in their lives.

Once again, we got this very wrong, and we wanted to say sorry.

TheLADbible team
www.afsp.org
www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
www.activeminds.org
www.thetrevorproject.org
www.iasp.info
www.samaritans.org
www.mind.org.uk

Let’s hope this has an impact on the shame culture perpetuating a lot of the discussions on social media today.