Actress Jenifer Lewis shared the journey of living undiagnosed with bipolar disorder in her memoir, The Mother of Black Hollywood.  In a recent interview with The New York Times, the 61-year-old mental health advocate revealed that people close to Kanye West asked her to sit down with the producer.

“Someone in Kanye’s camp is trying to get me in a room with him,” Lewis said. “I know what mental illness looks like, and I know that if a person is not ready to get help, they won’t.”

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After years of erratic behavior, West confirmed he was bipolar on his eighth studio album, Ye. He referred to the mental health illness as his “superpower” and boasted about not taking his medication.

During his White House visit with President Donald Trump earlier this month, the 41-year-old proclaimed he was sleep-deprived and had been misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder. The statement led to the cancellation of a scheduled public discussion about mental health with radio personality Charlamagne Tha God that was timed to coincide with the release of Charlamagne’s second book,  Shook One: Anxiety Playing Tricks on Me.

Lewis did not condemn West for his recent behavior; instead, she told the publication, “I hope that he gets himself well.”
She continued, “Nobody is better or worse than anyone else. This is not something to point your finger at and laugh. The only thing you can do for anyone else is to share your story of well-being.”

The black-ish star credits nearly two decades of therapy and taking her medication with helping the symptoms of her bipolar disorder.

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