Jared Padalecki got candid about his struggles with suicidal ideation which drove him to seek treatment at a facility for a few weeks in 2015.
During an appearance on I’ve Never Said This Before With Tommy DiDario, the actor sat down with wife Genevieve Padalecki and the host to discuss everything from Walker‘s recent cancellation to the possibility of a Supernatural reboot and his mental health.
When asked by Tommy DiDario to share one thing he’s never openly addressed, Padalecki revealed he once checked himself into a clinic during a “really low moment” in his life.
“I was letting my brain, letting my thoughts, kind of take over and go into places of like dramatic suicidal ideation,” he told the host, “and called my wife, and she said, ‘Get home.’ And so got home, went to a clinic for a couple of weeks and looked into it and haven’t been suicidal since, not for a moment. That having been said, there are still highs and lows.”
“Today’s a low. I’m fine. Nothing to worry about, but I have a lot of sadness about Walker, the family,” he said of the news his CW show had been canceled. “My tears aren’t for myself. I know I’ll be fine because I’m talking to you about it. I talked to Gen about it. I talked to my friends about it.”
He encouraged those struggling with their own mental health to share and open up to anyone they can, whether that’s a loved one or a professional and remember that just because they may be at a low in this moment doesn’t mean they always will be. The Supernatural star also noted that not everyone needs to go to a clinic as he did.
“I needed a full reset,” he admitted. “I had spent 15 years in this industry. When you go to an audition or a red carpet, they don’t want, like, ‘Jared, how are you doing today?’ ‘Oh, man, today was rough, and I didn’t sleep.’ They want, like, ‘Oh, it’s great! Excited to be here.’ So I’ve done that for so long, trying to focus. We talked earlier about what’s best for the person who’s talking to me, as opposed to just being honest.”
The Gilmore Girls actor pointed out that he’s very open about his mental health struggles. He doesn’t think it’s anything that deserves to be met with shame. At that moment in his life, he “needed a surgeon, not literally,” but he needed more serious help.
Padalecki concluded that section of the podcast by again noting that it’s been hard since he found out that Walker was canceled, but he’s in a great place otherwise with his family and friends. He shared that he’s found a way to acknowledge his feelings and deal with them in a healthier way.
“My time is spent really going like, ‘OK, these feelings and thoughts are real feelings and thoughts, but they’re not reality.’ Like, how do I put those over there and go like, ‘OK, I’m feeling really excited, that’s gonna change.’ ‘I’m feeling really down, that’s gonna change.’ ‘I’m feeling really anxious, that’s going to change.’ So, just learning to seek help, open up.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, the actor addressed the potential of a Supernatural reboot following its 15-season run that came to a close in 2020. Despite The CW not having any plans at the moment to revisit the world of Sam (Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles), that doesn’t mean the boys wouldn’t be down to return.
“I don’t want to do another 15 years of Supernatural,” Padalecki stated. “I don’t want to do another five years of Supernatural. I am dying to do a reboot of Supernatural, akin to the Gilmore Girls reboot, like, ‘Here are four one-and-a-half-hour episodes. We’ll shoot it in three months.’”
He pointed out that, in 2020, he and Ackles shared that they’d love to revisit their characters and the world they left behind five years after the finale, aka next year.
“I think he and I are both really eager to do it,” Padalecki said. “I’m certain I’ll put the flannel on again and play Sam Winchester.”
