A children's entertainer is giving an update after a recent hospitalization. Reading Rainbow host Mychal Threets spoke out about being on a five-day psychiatric hold.
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"I just wanted to apologize for worrying so many people," Threets said in a video shared via Threads on Saturday, Aug. 22. "I just got back from a five-day stay at the hospital. A five-day psychiatric hold. I haven't been OK for what feels like a very, very long time. I am not OK, but I have hope I will get to OK. ... It's gonna take a long time for me to be OK."
The children's entertainer says that he can't thank the "doctors, nurses and mental health workers" enough. "It's not enough, but thank you," he said. "You saved my life. We're struggling - We're human beings. We're doing our best."
Children's Entertainer Gives Health Update
Previously, Threets took to social media and said that he was going to the hospital. He expressed that he was suffering mentally.
"I am not okay. Maybe I'll never be okay. I'm seeking help," he wrote. "No matter what happens to me, I will always be thankful for the extraordinary people in my life who worry, who help me. Thank you for your care. I will always love you."
It's not the first time that he has opened up about struggling mentally. The children's entertainer says that he reached a dark point in March 2024. He considered committing suicide.
"I left [my job as a librarian] for mental health reasons. I was just really struggling in life, struggling at work for the first time, just started feeling burnt out," he explained.
Threets started off working for PBS in 2024 for their online content. But he proved to be so successful that they promoted him to relaunch the Reading Rainbow. The children's entertainer officially took over for LeVar Burton, who hosted the show from 1983 to 2006.
So far, Threets has been host of 24 episodes of the show, via the YouTube channel Kidzuko. Our thoughts and prayers are with him. We hope that he gets the help that he needs.
