The Fix: Michael B Jordan De-Stigmatizes Therapy for Black Men
Michael B Jordan De-Stigmatizes Therapy for Black Men
When Michael B. Jordan recently shared that he needed therapy after playing Killmonger in Black Panther, it caught a lot of people off guard and honestly, it shouldn’t have. Yep, Killmonger himself. The role was powerful, intense, and layered with pain, anger, and trauma, and Michael admitted that stepping into that headspace didn’t just turn off once the cameras stopped rolling. That kind of honesty matters.
Michael explained that carrying all that emotional weight lingered long after filming wrapped. He had to unpack it, process it, and make the intentional decision to talk to a professional so he could get his mind right again. And that moment of transparency opened up a bigger, necessary conversation especially in the Black community.
For a long time, therapy has been framed as something you only do when you’re broken, spiraling, or at your lowest point. That belief hits Black men especially hard, where strength is often measured by silence and endurance. But therapy isn’t a sign of failure. It’s maintenance. It’s clarity. It’s strength. Just like going to the gym keeps your body strong, therapy helps keep your mind healthy.
What makes Michael B. Jordan’s admission so impactful is who he is. He’s successful. He’s celebrated. He’s at the top of his career. And still, he needed support. That tells the truth we don’t always say out loud: you can be winning publicly and still need help privately. Success doesn’t cancel out emotional weight. Fame doesn’t erase trauma. And money doesn’t replace healing.
This isn’t weakness, it’s self-awareness. It’s knowing when to pause, reflect, and take care of yourself so you don’t lose who you are in the process of becoming everything else.
So shout out to Michael B. Jordan for helping normalize a conversation that’s long overdue. Especially for Black men who were taught to carry everything alone. Healing doesn’t make you less strong. It helps you stay standing.
