The Tragic Truth About Donald Glover

The following article includes mentions of suicide and mental illness.

Donald Glover, the Emmy-winning creator of "Atlanta," who's also known as the Grammy-winning rapper Childish Gambino, has lived a life filled with success and tragedy. In an interview with Vice, the creator mused that his background helped shape his unique worldview. "I felt free of shame around my own battles with mental illness that I don't believe I inherited, but rather, I was socialized into because of dealing with anti-black racism for my entire life. I do not believe you see as many black people die and be brutalized as I have and not develop anxiety," he said. "I don't think you can live with the level of poverty, housing, and food insecurity that I have and not develop clinical depression... I think my development of these conditions are [sic] proof that I am alive and not just some numb vehicle for domination that I was socialized to be." It seems as if Glover has taken ownership of his narrative, even if it may seem heartbreaking that he has endured so much.

Still, Glover seems to be on a journey of self-discovery where his beliefs and background bleed into his daily grind. He eloquently explained to The New Yorker that he seeks his truth continuously. "Authenticity is the journey of figuring out who you are through what you make," he told the outlet. And if his prolific creativity is anything to go by, we'd have to say that Glover is reaching deep as he bares it all.

Donald Glover Sr. encouraged his son's creativity. He believed that "Star Wars" warranted bypassing the Jehovah's Witness family's avoidance of all things pop culture. Father and son were such fans of the franchise that they ditched school to watch the prequel and Poppa bought Glover Jr. a Lando Calrissian doll to boot. Years later, when Glover Jr. was tapped to play that very character in "Solo: A Star Wars Story," the actor called his dad, saying, "Yo, you're not gonna believe what I'm going to be doing next year," he told Esquire.

While Glover Jr., who is also known as Childish Gambino, was able to share the joy of playing his favorite character with his dad, their time together was cut short when Glover Sr. died in 2018. The star announced the news during his final show on his "This Is America" tour. Before performing the song "Riot," he revealed (via ET Online), "I lost my father a couple weeks ago. And I wanted to play him some of the new songs ... But he didn't wanna hear 'em, 'cause he was like, 'I know they'll be great.'" He then continued, "I say that to talk about trust. That's what love is. I hope you guys get to feel that kind of love and trust in your life, I really do... So, this song is for you, and this song is for him." Donald Glover III, Childish Gambino's third son with Michelle White, was named after the Glover patriarch.

Donald Glover has two biological siblings: screenwriter and producer Stephen Glover and sister Brianne Glover. Besides fostering kids, his parents also permanently adopted two additional children. When his parents explained to him that one of the kids they were fostering had been molested and would need more attention, Glover felt that he was being short-changed. "What about me?" he asked himself, per The Village Voice. 

The steady influx of children who entered his home also brought a new set of challenges for the family. "I saw people getting stabbed. I saw drug dealers stealing people's address books so they could get to my house because people [there] owed them money," the artist told The Hollywood Reporter. Ironically, Glover's parents tried to shield their family from mainstream television and only allowed their kids to watch PBS and certain programs. Still, the children were inadvertently exposed to the harsh realities of life in their own home, including watching a cousin dying from AIDS because they couldn't provide the medication she needed. Per The New Yorker, Glover said, "That still feels like a family tragedy." 

While talking to THR, the rapper reminisced about his childhood and how it massively impacted the path he carved for himself. He stated, "I wanted to build my own world because then you get to make the world a little safer." Today, Glover's worlds have allowed millions to escape the humdrum of their daily lives, as well. 

Donald Glover grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia, where he was exposed to racism from a young age. In 2018, he told Esquire, "If people saw how I grew up, they would be triggered ... Confederate flags everywhere. I had friends who were white, whose parents were very sweet to me but were also like, 'Don't ever date him.'" Sadly, Glover has even experienced racism during his career. While portraying Troy Barnes on the set of "Community," the multi-hyphenate found himself slaying dragons because of the color of his skin. His co-star Chevy Chase, who played Pierce Hawthorne, seemingly tried to unsettle Glover with scathing remarks. He would say, per The New Yorker, "People think you're funnier because you're black." 

In 2012, Chase infamously used the N-word — and immediately apologized after doing so. The Hollywood Reporter initially reported that Chase didn't direct the slur at Glover or co-star Yvette Nicole Brown, who are both of African-American descent, but it seems as if there was more to this story. While presenting an honorary award to Paul Simms at the 2023 Writers Guild Awards, per The Hollywood Reporter, Glover talked about Simms, who was an executive producer on "Atlanta."  He said, "Chevy Chase once called Herb one of the funniest writers working in television... Chevy Chase once called me... You know what? This is about Paul." Glover again criticized Chase's non-PC language later that evening, underscoring Chase allegedly making their work environment uncomfortable. 

In October 2013, Donald Glover denied that he was depressed. People reached out to the rapper known as Childish Gambino after he shared some thoughts on Instagram. He wrote (via People), "I feel like I'm letting everyone down. I'm afraid people hate who I really am. I'm afraid I hate who I really am." He added, "I've been sick this year. This is the first time I've felt helpless." However, the artist told the outlet he was simply venting, saying, "I don't think those feelings are that different from what everybody's feeling. Most people just don't tell everybody." Glover told People he had an off-moment after performing a show that evening and that he was just expressing himself after the fact on social media.

Yet, that same month, Glover told Vice that his mental health had taken a knock that year. Childish Gambino had toured Australia in January 2013, and he elaborated on how he was doing after spending time abroad. He opened up about his depression, saying, "I was just super depressed. I mean, I tried to kill myself. I was really f***ed up after that because I had this girl that I thought I was going to marry and we broke up. I didn't feel like I knew what I was doing. I wasn't living up to my standard; I was living up to other people's standards, and I just said 'I don't see the point.'" 

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org

Donald Glover, who also goes by the stage name Childish Gambino, raps about being bullied while he was at school in the song "B****, Look At Me Now." He spits, "Picture me in sixth grade, overweight, overbite / Got my fake Adidas on, whiting out the fourth stripe / Kid named Vincent got it out for me, I hate that guy." Glover also spoke about his middle school experience during a 2011 "George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight" interview. The actor opened up and shared, "When I was in 7th grade, I got bullied so bad. I got called the F-word, the N-word, all the time, and I felt so bad about myself. "

Oh, how things have changed! Glover changed his narrative and has become one of the most popular people on the planet. Where once he was powerless, he now holds all the power — and he's certainly not shy about flaunting his well-earned success. Thanks to his past experiences, Glover understands people and how they think, and he explained their fickle nature in an interview with The New Yorker. "I don't really like people that much. People accept me now because I have power, but they still think, 'Oh, he thinks he's the golden flower of the black community, thinks he's so different.'" Glover then added, "But I am, though! I feel like Jesus. I do feel chosen." Chosen or not, we stan a king.