LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: There's good news for Bowen Yang's fans. The ‘Saturday Night Live’ star has given a health update after taking a break from his podcast. “My mental health is great,” the comedian told PageSix during the 2023 American Museum of Natural History Gala Thursday night, November 30.
“It’s very good. I had a really rough patch and people were very patient with me. It’s hard but you know, I barreled through. I powered through,” he added. The ‘Fire Island’ star publicly opened up about his break over “bad bouts of depersonalization.”
What is depersonalization?
As per Mayo Clinic, “Depersonalization/derealization disorder occurs when you always or often feel that you're seeing yourself from outside your body or you sense that things around you are not real — or both. Feelings of depersonalization and derealization can be very disturbing. You may feel like you're living in a dream.”
Health experts believe that this issue is more common in people with traumatic past. The 33-year-old had previously talked about the bad experience that still bothers him when his parents sent him to gay conversion therapy at age 17, as per PageSix.
Yang, in an interview with the Rolling Stones, said, “I think ultimately that made me value and, in a literal sense, appreciate what I’m able to withstand and survive. You get this sense that you can overcome.”
He has said he’s now in a “healthy place” with his parents.
What are Bowen Yang's holiday plans?
As Yang continues to work on his mental health, he’s also gearing up for the holiday season, which he’s planning to spend with family, including his older sister and her children.
“I am planning a trip with my nieces and nephews and maybe the rest of my family, [but] most importantly, the kids,” he enthused, adding “I think we’re going to go to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Really excited. Yeah.”
The star also added about being ‘generous.' “I’m generous,” he explained, adding “I’m cool, but I’m also like, I think I also want to, like, give them a nice, healthy distance from, like, you know, being too spoiled.”
Yang said on his nieces and nephews, [they] have grown up “with a lot of things” that he never got “and I will do a good job of reminding them of that every time!”
Yang had observed the anti-Asian racism in the country and talked about “how insanely bad things are.” “If someone’s personality is punching Asian grandmas, it’s not a dialogue. I have an Asian grandma, you want to punch her, there ain’t no common ground, mama."
