“We want to say we’ve got this very, very wrong.”
The website that shared a meme poking fun of actor Wentworth Miller have responded to the actor’s frank admission that he turned to food when he had been battling depression.
The Lad Bible had initially posted a meme of Miller with a composite image of the actor and the caption “When you break out of prison and find out about McDonalds monopoly”.
Miller took to Facebook confront the makers of the meme, describing how he had been the subject of jokes before but that this one “stands out from the rest”.
Watch Wentworth Miller discuss the upcoming revival of Prison Break (post continues after video).
His post: “First and foremost, I was suicidal. This is a subject I’ve since written about, spoken about, shared about” went viral.
“But at the time I suffered in silence. As so many do” he wrote
“The extent of my struggle known to very, very few.”
“In 2010, at the lowest point in my adult life, I was looking everywhere for relief/comfort/distraction. And I turned to food. It could have been anything. Drugs. Alcohol. Sex.
“But eating became the one thing I could look forward to. Count on to get me through. There were stretches when the highlight of my week was a favorite meal and a new episode of TOP CHEF. Sometimes that was enough. Had to be.”
Since Miller’s post the Lad Bible deleted the internet meme and they have now posted an apology on their website saying they got it “very, very wrong”.
“We want to say we’ve got this very, very wrong. Mental health is no joke or laughing matter. We certainly didn’t want to cause you pain by reminding you of such a low point in your life.”
The website, popular with young men right across the world, wrote:
“We certainly didn’t want to cause you pain by reminding you of such a low point in your life. Causing distress and upset to innocent or vulnerable people is simply not acceptable.
“TheLADbible continues to cover how prevalent mental health issues are among our audience, as well as the damaging stigma that surrounds such matters.
“We applaud your raw honesty and promise to now cover such matters in the responsible manner that our audience expects. ”
They said: “Responding head-on to our post is something we applaud as it will help others through similar challenges in their lives.
“Once again, we got this very wrong, and we wanted to say sorry.”
If you or anyone you know are struggling, you can find similar Australia services here:
Lifeline 13 11 14
Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636
Black Dog Institute 9382 2991
Lighthouse Foundation 9093 7500
Featured photo: Getty.
Top Comments
Apologised? They shouldn't have judged in the first place, regardless of who the person is, no one has the right to make a snap assumption about another person, based on how they look.
It's great that they apologised. I hope more fat shamers (or thin shamers for that matter) internalise Wentworth's message and try to mind their own business.