Michelle Williams Details Quitting Broadway Show Due to Depression

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Michelle Williams Shares She Quit Broadway Show After 2 Weeks to Check Into Mental Health Facility

Michelle Williams is a survivor.

After all, the Destiny's Child alum is now starring in Broadway's Death Becomes Her six years after she had to quit an onstage production of Once On This Island to seek help for depression.

“Back in 2018, I had to leave a Broadway show because of my mental health," Michelle told Good Morning America on Feb. 3. "I thought that door was closed for me to return on Broadway. I thought I blew it. I thought I'd be seen as a liability."

Recounting how she had already sought treatment earlier that year, Michelle said in hindsight, "I wasn't as well as I probably should have been, and it just got to the point where I had to check out of the show."

"To me, that was two blows in the same year," the 45-year-old continued. "Checking into a treatment facility for depression and then checking out of show, still, because of it."

But now, with Tony Award buzz surrounding her Death Becomes Her performance, Michelle said it feels "like I've already won."

She added, "It's great to be back."

Michelle's mental health journey spans as far back as her time on Destiny's Child with Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland. However, she initially attributed her depression to just being "tired" from her busy schedule.

"When I disclosed it to our manager at the time, bless his heart, he was like, 'You all just signed a multi-million dollar deal. You’re about to go on tour. What do you have to be depressed about?'" she recounted during a 2017 appearance on The Talk. "Had I had a name to what I was feeling at the time, I would have disclosed that I've been suffering from depression."

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But these days, she has a huge support system that includes her former bandmates. In fact, Bey and Kelly attended the opening night of Death Becomes Her in November.

"They were so excited when I told them about the opportunity," Michelle said during her GMA interview. "I'm thankful for second, third, fourth, however many chances."

For more stars speaking out about mental health, keep reading.

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Candace Cameron Bure

The Full House alum reflected on her mental health journey and navigating her battle with depression.

"It's very difficult to speak out about it, even to your most trusted people," she shared on her Candace Cameron Bure Podcast. "At least for me, I feel like I should be strong enough to overcome that and then it feels so weak."

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Billie Eilish

The Grammy winner has been very open about how she protects her energy, such as ignoring haters on social media, while also sharing her advice for those who may need help. 

"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."

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Katy Perry

While everyone was trying to make the best of socially distancing to slow the coronavirus pandemic, the "Firework" artist got real about how situations like this can also be extremely stressful.

"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 shared on Twitter. Katy talked about how she manages those waves, writing, "There is not really anywhere to go besides my car. So I go to my car a lot. That is my safe space."

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Kendall Jenner

The model, who teamed up with designer Kenneth Cole to raise awareness for The Mental Health Coalition, spoke on Good Morning America about her own experiences with anxiety.

She recalled after her panic attacks started recurring, she, "finally kind of got the information that I needed about it."

"For me, I have good days and I have some really anxious days, so I'm really off and on," Kendall expressed, adding that was why she wanted to become involved with the movement. "What I hope to accomplish is for people to not feel as alone."

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Dwayne Johnson

The Black Adam actor has been open about having depression and how it can be difficult for men to talk about their mental health.

"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," he wrote on Twitter. "Especially us dudes have a tendency to keep it in. You're not alone."

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Prince Harry

The Duke of Sussex helped break down some of the stigma around seeking help for mental health when, in an interview with the Telegraph, he opened up about his own journey with therapy. As he told the outlet, "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."

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Taraji P. Henson

Another proponent of seeking professional help, the Empire star has been open about her struggles with depression.

"I have a therapist that I speak to," she previously told Variety. "That's the only way I can get through it."

Taraji even started The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, which works to reduce the stigma around mental health in the African American community and also works to increase the number of Black therapists.

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Lili Reinhart

"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," the Riverdale actress wrote on Instagram in 2017.  "Asking for help is the first step. You are more precious to this world than you'll ever know."

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Kristen Bell

The Frozen star has talked for years about her strategies for coping with her mental health at public keynotes and even on her Instagram Stories.

She has advocated for finding the methods that help you best, which for her, according to Health, can include medication, listing ten positive things in her life for every negative thought and getting plenty of exercise.

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Chrissy Teigen

While the cookbook author is the proud parent to four kiddos, she's also been open about postpartum depression that many new mothers experience but feel like they cannot talk about.

"It got easier and easier to say it aloud every time," she wrote in an open letter to Glamour in 2017. "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."

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Cara Delevingne

While promoting her book Mirror, Mirror, the model opened up to The Edit magazine about facing depression and suicidal thoughts as a teenager, saying she felt "something dark" in her during that time.

"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," Cara told the publication, via W. "So now I can be by myself, I can be happy. It took me a long time."

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Ariana Grande

The "Thank U, Next" artist has encouraged fans to seek help if they need, responding to a Twitter user who joked about wondering who Ariana's therapist is with, "lmaoaoo this is funny as f--k but in all honesty therapy has saved my life so many times."

"If you're afraid to ask for help, don't be," she continued. "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 that it's possible."

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Demi Lovato

The singer has been open about her journey with addiction, sobriety, mental health and more, including many of those aspects of her life within her music.

She also continually reminds fans that working on your mental health is an ongoing process where there will be some bad days, previously writing on Instagram, "A reminder to anyone struggling out there - this life is a journey with tons of ups and downs but you can't give up."

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Zendaya

Not only has the actress taken on roles that deal with mental health, such as her role as Rue in the teen drama Euphoria, she's also addressed those issues in her own life, too.

Back in 2013, Zendaya wrote on her now-defunct app that she struggled with anxiety after an appearance on Ellen where her mic went out. She has since learned ways to manage those feelings, adding, "Sometimes you just have to take a step back so things stop stressin' you."

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Selena Gomez

The singer candidly described her mental health journey with WSJ Magazine, saying, "My highs were really high, and my lows would take me out for weeks at a time."

"I found out I do suffer from mental health issues," she shared. "I got on the right medication, and my life has been completely changed."

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Lady Gaga

The Grammy winner made it her mission to spread kindness and be open about mental health, including her own.

"I have struggled for a long time, both being public and not public about my mental health issues or my mental illness," she said during the Global Changemakers Award at Children Mending Hearts' Empathy Rocks fundraiser in 2018. "But, I truly believe that secrets keep you sick."

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