Taye Diggs Reveals His Son Created A Vicious Cycle He's Never Recovered From!
By Melanie VanDerveer on October 7, 2022 at 4:00 PM EDT
Having insomnia can complicate life in different ways, and actor Taye Diggs knows that too well. He recently opened up about his long-term struggle with insomnia to host Janine Rubenstein on the "PEOPLE Every Day" podcast. Diggs, 51, said it all began after his son Walker, 13, was born.
Taye Diggs Revealed His Long-Term Battle With Insomnia
"This insomnia started when Walker was born. He wouldn't sleep all the way through the night, so I wouldn't know how many hours I would be awake, and then I'd have to work the next morning," he said. "I wouldn't know how many hours I would get and it would affect my work. I'd get anxious and it created a cycle and I never really got over it."
The Broadway alum said he would look for ways to make it through the days and the nights. "I'd try to do whatever I needed to do to stay awake during the day and, and try to fall asleep and stay asleep, you know, whether that meant more wine in the evenings or more energy drinks and Red Bulls during the day," he explained. "I always found little hacks that would kind of get me through. And it wasn't until just recently that my son took me aside and said, 'What's going on? You have work and then it's time for us to hang out and you're not really there.' And that bothered me. So I finally checked out a doctor."
Diggs explained that it was hard to seek help, but he eventually saw a doctor who prescribed medicine to help the insomnia. "It's okay to ask for help because once I did, I was given some options." Diggs said the medication he was prescribed, Qviviq, made a huge difference. "I was waking up between two and five every single day and it was affecting everything, mostly my time with my son. So I took it and gave it a couple of days, and so far so good. My kid can see a difference in how involved I am with him."
Diggs coparents his son with his ex-wife Idina Menzel, 51, saying, "She runs the show." Diggs told PEOPLE, "She has a career and she has her own relationships and she still makes sure that Walker is where he needs to be when he needs. He's got the best coaches and the best teachers, and we're at the best schools, and it's all because of her."
Taye Diggs Is Getting Ready To Relive "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" With New Hulu Series
The "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" star is about to embark on helping other "Stellas" get their grooves back with the new Hulu show, "Back in the Groove." Diggs will be hosting the unscripted show that follows three women in their 40s who will check into the Groove Hotel, a resort on an island of the Dominican Republic. The goal of the show is to help the women "get their grooves back" and hopefully fall in love with men half their age. Diggs recently posted about the new show on Instagram.
Many of the comments on his post were related to the hit 1998 film, "How Stella Got Her Groove Back." One follower said, "Stella’s getting their groove back. 🔥💯," and another wrote, "Live action How Stella got her groove back." Many comments were women asking how they can have a chance to be on the show.
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, a description of the show reads, “Three single women in their 40s, all stuck in the grind of their everyday lives, will check OUT of their comfort zones and check INTO The Groove Hotel, a magical resort on the beautiful island of the Dominican Republic — where the goal is to rediscover their youth, live joyously, and hopefully find love with men HALF. THEIR. AGE. As the saying goes: You can’t fall in love with someone else until you fall in love with yourself! At the Groove Hotel, these three women will have the opportunity to do both! Whether they find the perfect fling, friendship, true love, or something in between, this is their chance to take charge and break through the double standards older women face every day. And they’re going to have a lot of fun doing it! The show is hosted by Taye Diggs, who knows a thing or two about getting into the groove.”
This will be the first unscripted Hulu Original series. No release date has been announced for the eight-episode series yet.