‘Reading Rainbow’ host Mychal Threets reveals ‘terrifying sleepwalking’ and ‘memory loss’
Days after returning home from a five-day psychiatric hold, “Reading Rainbow” host Mychal Threets says he has been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and is “very likely” bipolar.
“I’m proud to be neurodivergent, but it’s not easy,” the former Solano County Librarian said in a recent Instagram reel posted Wednesday, Aug. 26. “A lot of people know this year has been really, really hard for me … All these things have resulted in so much stress and so many awful, dark, very, very hard thoughts with really, really hard days.”
He also noted in the clip that suffered from “terrifying sleepwalking, a lot of memory loss” and shared he was previously diagnosed with autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in April.
“It’s just been really, really hard to be a human being, to be a person finding joy, a person seeking out hope. But I’m going to keep on doing it,” Threets, known online as Mychal the Librarian, continued. “I promise I’m never gonna stop. As long as I’m alive in the world, I’m gonna seek hope, I’m gonna seek joy.”
A longtime literacy advocate, Threets was named PBS’ first resident librarian before he started hosting the “Reading Rainbow” reboot last year, taking over for LeVar Burton, who hosted the original PBS series for more than two decades.
Threets’ first episode was released on YouTube in October, and the revival was renewed for a 24-episode second season in March.
Threets, who has been candid about his mental health struggles online for years, revealed on Aug. 17 that he was planning to admit himself to a hospital.
After canceling an appearance at TEDxSanDiego, Threets resurfaced on social media on Saturday, Aug. 22, to share that he had just returned from a five-day psychiatric hold.
“I haven’t been okay for what feels like a very, very long time. I am not okay, but I have hope I will get to okay,” he said in a reel. “It’s gonna take a long time for me to be okay.”
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This article originally published at ‘Reading Rainbow’ host Mychal Threets reveals ‘terrifying sleepwalking’ and ‘memory loss’.
