Kid Cudi Reveals That He Suffered From a Stroke Years Ago
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Throughout his time in the limelight, Kid Cudi has been admirably open about his struggles with mental health. He's even seen as mental health advocate for struggling youth across the entire planet, really—something you'll understand if you're familiar with his music. But now, in Esquire's September 2022 cover story with the star, the artist opened up about a challenge not many know he faced: a stroke.
In 2016, before the release of his album, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin', Cudi announced in an emotional letter to fans that he would check into a rehabilitation facility to receive treatment for depression and suicidal urges in 2016. "I am not at peace. I haven't been since you've known me. If I didn't come here, I would've done something to myself," he wrote at the time, apologizing to fans. "I simply am a damaged human swimming in a pool of emotions everyday of my life. Theres a ragin violent storm inside of my heart at all times. Idk what peace feels like."
Though he was out of the public eye while receiving treatment for mental health issues, Cudi told Esquire's Clover Hope that he suffered a stroke two weeks into his rehabilitation and needed to be hospitalized. As a result of the stroke, he suffered from slow speech and movement, so much that his manager and friend Dennis Cummings suggested he take a break from music. “Everything was fucked,” Cudi admitted.
After weeks of physical therapy to regain his strength and health, he recovered in 2017. When did Cudi know he was going to be OK? The "Pursuit of Happiness" rapper auditioned for a role in Michael Cera's Broadway play "Lobby Hero." The audition required that Cudi memorized quite a lot of lines while he was still recovering. Even though he didn't land the role, Cudi was able to complete the audition—and prove something to himself. “I proved to myself that I could do it," he said. "I needed that at the time. I was happy. Like, damn, my brain is still strong. I didn’t lose something in that shit that happened.”
Nowadays? Cudi continues to be a mental health advocate for those who look up to him. "I’m so in tune with my emotions," he told Esquire. "As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned how to manage and control those emotions.” he said “I’m ready to wear those shoes and be a role model.”
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