Reading Rainbow host Mychal Threets revealed he is “not okay” as he prepared to check himself into a hospital earlier this week.
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In a post on Threads, Threets stated, “I am not okay. Maybe I’ll never be okay. I’m seeking help.”
He further noted that he was at the time safe by “God’s grace.”
“No matter what happens to me, I will always be thankful for the extraordinary people in my life who worry,” he continued. “Who help me. Thank you for your care. I will always love you.”
Threets’ followers quickly took to the comment section to show love and support.
“We will be waiting in the library for you to return from your battle,” one follower wrote.
Another encouraged Threets to get the help he needs. “Because this world is a better place because you’re in it.”
Yvette Nicole Brown also further commented, “If you need help, maybe go tonight, friend.”
Threets notably sparked concerns amongst his followers earlier this month.
“If today is my last day in the land of the living, I just wanted to say I love you and I’m proud of you,” he shared in a TikTok video on August 8. “The world, the library is best with you in it. Thank you for staying.”
Threets Previously Opened Up About His Mental Health Struggles
During a 2024 interview with NBC Bay Area, Threets opened up about his struggles with mental health. Prior to becoming the Reading Rainbow host, Threets worked at the Solano County Library in California. However, he left the job in order to prioritize his well-being.
“I was just really struggling in life, struggling at work for the first time, just started feeling burnt out,” he explained. “And I think my plan was, honestly, to leave the world at that time. I planned to take my own life in March 2024, and I’m still struggling today.”
Threets has hosted Reading Rainbow since YouTube relaunched the hit children’s program last year. LeVar Burton was the show’s host from 1983 to 2006.
“I was raised on Reading Rainbow, LeVar Burton is my hero,” Threets shared last year. “I am a reader, I am a librarian because LeVar Burton and Reading Rainbow so powerfully made us believe we belong in books, we belong everywhere.”