Amy Sussman/Getty Images(HOLLYWOOD) — On Wednesday night’s powerful episode of the FXX comedy Dave, we learned that Lil Dicky’s friend and hype man GaTa is bipolar.
The episode is based on real-life — GaTa plays a version of himself on the show, and he’s also actually bipolar. Dave Burd, aka Lil Dicky, talked to ABC Audio about why he wanted to do an episode focused on GaTa’s struggles.
“We’ve been on the road and like, I’ve seen how this affects his life and just felt like something that he was comfortable sharing that could be like really powerful,” the 32-year-old rapper said. “I think it’ll impact and help a lot of people.”
Fortunately for the show and its viewers, GaTa was comfortable sharing his journey of dealing with mental illness. He didn’t always feel that way though, mainly due to the stigma that surrounds mental health in the black community in addition to expectations of what it means to be a man.
“At first I was embarrassed and ashamed because this is hard to do deal with,” he admitted.
“In the white culture or different cultures, you’re just like, ‘Hey, I want to go talk to my therapist today.’ It’s like, ‘Hey, honey, what did he say?’ But in the black community, people not really doing that. They’re ashamed to be like, ‘Hey, man, I need help’,” he explained. “And as being a man asking for help makes you look weak.”
GaTa credited his ability to overcome these obstacles to his closest family members and hopes that he can be that support for others.
“That’s why I want to put it out there, that I’m bipolar, because I want people, other people to get help, too,” he said.
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