NBC News reporter Kalhan Rosenblatt takes leave of absence after ‘struggling with suicidal ideation’
An NBC News reporter who covers youth and internet culture for the network went public with her mental health battle — saying she is stepping away after “struggling with suicidal ideation.”
Kalhan Rosenblatt, who has worked for the Comcast-owned network for seven years, announced her decision to take a “short-term leave of absence” in a heartfelt message to her nearly 29,000 followers on X on Wednesday.
In the post titled “Tw [trigger warning]: self harm,” Rosenblatt wrote: “I have been unsure about sharing this publicly but I think if I can make one person feel less alone, it’s worth it.”
Rosenblatt, 33, added that “a confluence of factors” have “led me to my rock bottom” but that she is “getting the help I need now.”
She said she hopes to return to work in “a few weeks” when she’ll be “feeling more grounded and stable.”
Rosenblatt wrote that her late mother, who passed away from ovarian cancer in 2019, left her a letter in which she wrote that her daughter “made my life worth living.”
Tw: self harm
I have been unsure about sharing this publicly but I think if I can make one person feel less alone, it’s worth it.
I’ve been struggling with suicidal ideation.
I’m taking a short-term leave of absence from work to get the care I need for my mental health. 1/— Kalhan (@KalhanR) May 1, 2024
“I have been so worried about letting my mom down,” Rosenblatt wrote, adding she was concerned that “needing time away from work to get better was failing her.”
“Then I remembered one of the letters she left me, and that her priority was my happiness,” she wrote.
“So I’m going to make that my priority, too.”
The Post has reached out to NBC News.
Rosenblatt declined to comment.
The Florida native, who made frequent appearances on cable channel MSNBC, last filed a story for NBC News’ website more than a week ago.
She wrote on Wednesday that she feels “immense guilt and shame for not being able to do my job [right now] when journalism is more crucial than ever,” a reference to the ongoing anti-Israel protests that are roiling college campuses including Columbia University, NYU and City College of New York.
“After years of pretending I was OK, I have to acknowledge I’m not.”
Rosenblatt, who worked for the Daily Mail before joining NBC News, said she’d like to continue “covering stories and have many years of bylines but the only way for that to happen is to get help.”
I’ll end by saying that I have been so worried about letting my mom down. That needing time away from work to get better was failing her.
Then I remembered one of the letters she left me, and that her priority was my happiness. So I’m going to make that my priority, too. 6/ pic.twitter.com/0Lg2Z74u9X— Kalhan (@KalhanR) May 1, 2024
Her viral post generated widespread sympathy.
Longtime journalist Ethan Sacks, who now pens Marvel comics, wrote: “Kalhan, you are not alone. But you are awesome. Sending love. Thank you for sharing and letting others in a similar situation feel less alone and isolated.”
Gene Park, a Washington Post journalist, wrote: “Crying. I’m here with you Kalhan. You are never alone in this world. We love you and we are here with you. I’m always here to talk.”
In October, another NBC News reporter, Ben Collins, took to social media and revealed that he was “irrevocably depressed and anxious” in the face of “death threats” that he was receiving for his reporting.
Collins, who covers “disinformation” for the network, was once suspended from covering Tesla CEO Elon Musk after he mocked the mogul following his $44 billion acquisition of the company formerly known as Twitter.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
