Prison Break star Wentworth Miller has written an emotional and touching essay in response to a body-shaming meme which has been shared Facebook by The LAD Bible.
The DC Legend’s Of Tomorrow star, Miller who is probably best known for his role as Michael Scofield in the U.S. smash hit series Prison Break, recently posted a screen-grab of the insulting meme which shows two pictures of the actor at two different weights. The TV star who came out as a Gay man a few years back, heartbreakingly wrote that the meme “stands out” from others as it reminds him of a particularly difficult period in his personal life when he was depressed and suicidal.
“First and foremost, I was suicidal,” Miller explained. “This is a subject I’ve since written about, spoken abut, shared about. But at the time I suffered in silence. As so many do. The extent of my struggle known to very, very few.” The star further explained that back in 2010 he was keeping a low profile and was “semi-retired from acting”, he added that he had turned to food to cope with his depression, from which he has been prone to since childhood, he recalled paparazzi photographing him while on a hike which apparently then led to various media headlines such as “hunk to chunk” and “fit to flab”.
“In 2010, fighting for my mental health, it was the last thing I needed,” he wrote. “Long story short, I survived. So do these pictures. I’m glad. Now, when I see that image of me in my red t-shirt, a rare smile on my face, I am reminded of my struggle. My endurance and my perseverance in the face of all kinds of demons. Some within. Some without. “ […] The first time I saw this meme pop up in my social media feed, I have to admit, it hurt to breathe. But as with everything in life, I get to assign meaning. And the meaning I assign to this/ my image is Strength. Healing. Forgiveness”.
The actor who is about to reprise his role as breakout king Michael Schofield in Prison Break season 5, has previously spoken openly about his history of depression and in 2013 told a Human Rights event he first tried to kill himself aged 15.
Meanwhile The LAD Bible who have over 11 million likes on Facebook and regularly share articles as well as memes and videos, quickly deleted their post and also responded to Miller’s status with a statement on their Facebook page addressing the actor directly. The statement of apology reads: “We posted two pictures of you last night to our Facebook page, but today we want to say we’ve got this very, very wrong,” said the group. “Mental health is no joke or laughing matter.”