Ray J Details Suicide Attempt During Controversial Interview With Pastor Jamal Bryant
Ray J’s much discussed interview with Pastor Jamal Bryant has been released via the reverend’s The Jamal Bryant Podcast: Let’s Be Clear podcast, and features the entertainer revealing the moment he attempted to commit suicide on a roof in Mexico.
The former Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood star, 43, spent much of the chat vaguely reflecting on the emotional, mental, and professional impact of his infamous sex tape with ex, Kim Kardashian. He also referred to his public-facing self as a “character” throughout the interview, and called himself a “liar” multiple times. The accumulated feelings of shame and inauthenticity led the singer to leave his life up to fate.
“I was hanging off the roof of the hotel in Cancun. I climbed off the roof, and I went off to the side of the roof, and I just laid down,” the “One Wish” singer described of the moment. “I climbed over and I laid, and I went to sleep, and I said, ‘If I fall off, then it was meant to be.'”
He went on, “So, I went to sleep for about two and a half hours, and then the hotel caught me, and then we went through all of this stuff, and then I had to go do these tests. But at that moment, it was like, ‘Yo, you wanna make your family proud, but you’re living a lie.”
He later clarified that while he had several suicidal ideations, this was his first attempt. Watch the interview below.
The Q&A comes after a week of back-and-forth between the two gentlemen, as Ray J threatened to snatch the pastor “off the pulpit” if he were to release the interview.
“Yo, I got nothing but love for Pastor Bryant. Shoutout to Jamal Bryant… but if y’all play that interview, somebody getting snatched off the pulpit,” the artist claimed at the time. “Don’t play the interview, it’s not cleared, it’s out of bounds. Me and Pastor Bryant need to talk because the way I was treated was dirty and illegal.”
Bryant soon responded, and was confused by the “threats” being issued by the father of two.
“It was both surprising and disheartening to wake up to unfounded threats and baseless accusations directed at me,” Bryant posted. “As part of our commitment to honest dialogue, we ensured that specific comments with potential legal ramifications were edited out of the interview to safeguard the best interest of a brother beloved.”
Days later, Ray J issued an apology for his aggressive language, posting on Instagram, “I apologize to you and the whole church community! What I did might be unforgivable but I still want you to know that I’m sorry and it was not ok what I did.”
He added within the black-and-white clip, “Speaking that kind of language to a pastor is unbelievable, it’s uncalled for, it’s disrespectful, it’s distasteful, it’s disgraceful in every sense.” See the apology below.
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