Wayne Brady Opens Up About Mental Health: 'I've Always Been Depressed'

"Let's Make A Deal" host Wayne Brady is now opening up about depression.

The 50-year-old, who is currently competing on this season of "Dancing With the Stars"with partner Witney Carson, is coming forward, admitting to having struggled with mental health throughout his 30s and how Robin Williams' death made him reflect on his life more.

When speaking to Verywell Mind, the actor and television host said that around his 42nd birthday, his depression reached a point where he couldn't "shake it off" anymore.

"[I] think depression is an insidious beast," Brady admitted. "It's an insidious disease that, in hindsight, I feel that I've always been depressed. [I] now know that...for years, I had an imbalance that I just didn't deal with."

He admitted that he always looked at getting mental health help was a sign of weakness, but after having a push of support from his ex-wife Mandie Taketa, Brady began therapy.

"Because I think, like a lot of people in the African American culture, I grew up thinking that therapy was a bad word or therapy's not for me — therapy's for white people, therapy's for crazy people," Brady explained. "So it took a lot of work to open my eyes to see that asking for help is not a weakness. In fact, that's a strength saying I need this. That's a superpower."

The world was shocked when news broke that comedian Robin Williams took his own life in August 2014. He was 63 years old.

Williams was someone that Brady looked up to, and so his suicide really affected the "Let's Make A Deal" host. "Robin was someone that I respect greatly, was blessed to work with him. I was touched by him my entire life," Brady explained. "And when you see someone who had the mind of Robin Williams, and the kindness of Robin Williams, and the talent of Robin Williams say, 'I cannot talk to anybody about what is going on with me because it's too great,'… I knew that I didn't want that for myself."

The "Masked Singer" winner admitted that as a comedian, sometimes people forget that they are only human and can sometimes be dealing with their own struggles, which could become difficult to deal with, especially while trying to simultaneously bringing joy to others through comedy.

"The reality is everybody's dealing with something every day. Just because someone makes you laugh doesn't mean that they can't have an ordinary feeling," the 50-year-old actor added. "They make you laugh because it's their job. Because it's their calling. It's not a personality trait. So, when someone asks, 'Well, you must be funny at home. Why are you sad?' No, because that's my job, and I show up for my job."

He continued,

"Stigma is in your head. Yes, certain people may judge you, but that's life, but the fact is, if you're not getting help because you feel and you use the words, 'Well, that's not for me,' or 'I'm gonna get judged,' or 'I can't talk to some stranger,' then I just say to you, if I can say to you that going to therapy, and talking and actually taking care of your mental health is akin to somebody with a disease. And if the doctor says, if you just take this pill every single day, I'm not saying that it'll cure it, but it will definitely arrest it. Wouldn't you take that pill? So, take it, take the pill of talking to someone."

Wayne Brady is currently competing on this season of "Dancing With the Stars" with partner Witney Carson. The reality competition show airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET on Disney+.