Ryan Guzman, star of the FOX drama 9-1-1 and the Step Up franchise, bravely opened up about his mental health struggles on the ‘I’ve Never Said This Before’ podcast, revealing a past suicide attempt and encouraging men to seek help.
During the interview, Guzman shared, “I tried, at one point in time, to take my own life,” describing the incident as a “mental health crisis” that occurred years ago. He credited his second chance at life and the loss of his friend and co-star tWitch, who died by suicide in 2022, for shaping his perspective on mental health.
Guzman also spoke about tWitch’s passing, saying that such moments “have allowed [him] to have a deeper sense of mercy and empathy towards every individual.” Recently, he posted a dance video on Instagram as a tribute to tWitch, overcoming a fear he had held since Step Up. In the caption, he wrote, “Since Step Up, I’ve been so afraid to dance. For fear of being judged on the principle, I played a professional dancer in a movie and was held to a standard of dance I couldn’t uphold.” He continued, “It was Twitches voice in my head that reminded me to get out of my head and dance for the fun of it. Laugh at yourself. Be goofy. Mess up. But most of all, be vulnerable and feel the music. In your honor Twitch, I danced for the first time in a long time n let go of the fear.”
Guzman, whose character on 9-1-1 also grapples with severe PTSD from his time as an army medic, hopes his story will inspire others, particularly men, to seek help. “Lean on your brother,” he advised on the podcast, challenging the stereotype of ‘toxic masculinity.’
Reflecting on his darkest moment, Guzman sees it as a turning point. “From that moment forward, I’ve taken each step as an opportunity to erase what got me there and build on what allowed me to live for,” he concluded.
