Credit to him for openly talking about his struggles, even if it was apparently forced by the gutter press. That wouldn’t have been easy.
I will say, though, based on things I have read, seen, and heard about his behaviour over the last few years, I think a few may be giving him a bit too much leniency. That is not to say empathy is in order for the hardships he has endured or that they don’t in some way explain some of his behaviour. As others have said—and I have I stated many times—you never know what is going on in another person’s head. Mental illness can cause all manner of oddities when observing from the outside. And he should be given support in his attempts to gain control and better his life.
But that doesn’t excuse a person of all responsibility for their decisions and actions.
He and I had a somewhat similar childhood, unfortunately, but had obviously different paths in adulthood that lead to different issues. We both have mental health disorders (and attempted suicide), though, I have been able to avoid addiction, apart from some behaviours with OCD. Who knows if that would have been the case had I been suddenly thrust in to the world of global celebrity. And I now have a progressive, degenerative disease that means I struggle to move and may see me pass before my son reaches an age where he’ll remember me at all. I will admit I have suicidal ideations often now, for fairly obvious reasons.
And I know many other people that have had childhoods similar to mine and his—and who also struggle with mental health issues and severe disease in adulthood—that have lead relatively upstanding lives. And a few that have done some very questionable things (my father being one of them, to put it mildly). Most didn’t have to endure the perils of fame, mind, so that is something to consider.
But, ultimately, we shouldn’t use a person’s mental health and tough upbringing to absolve them of agency and responsibility. That is similar to the crazies in the US that blame gun violence solely on mental health. It devalues the efforts of those that have struggled with similar challenges and haven’t acted in negative or dangerous ways.
I genuinely hope he is now on a path of healing, is able to find more peace in his life and profession, and manages to right the ship. He is deserving of support for those efforts and he definitely has mine. But he is still responsible for everything he has done and will do, as all adults are, regardless of the possible explanations.
So I will reserve judgment on whether he becomes someone I will admire.
I hope he does. Though, I may not be around to see it.
