A.J. Daulerio on Bipolar, Substances, Depression, Suicide, and the Psychic Weight of Hulk Hogan

Episode notes

A.J. Daulerio exists as a caricature to a lot of people because he was the guy who published a clip from a Hulk Hogan sex tape on Gawker, got sued by Hogan, and he and Gawker lost to the tune of a $140 million payout. The enmity and shame of that was a lot to carry around, as was a lifelong battle with depression and bipolar disorder type II, as was a pretty profound problem with drug and alcohol abuse. But A.J. sobered up, got treatment, got therapy, and began to devote his energy to stories of hope and healing in his Small Bow podcast and newsletter. So now he’s fine and it’s a happy ending, right? Well, no, mental health is more complicated than that. A.J. shares with us a pretty terrifying story he hasn’t shared anywhere before about a brush with self-harm that occurred very recently. It’s a story that shows how a human being, especially one that deals with mental illness, may be on an overall mission to get healthier but it’s pretty complicated and, unlike the movies, it doesn’t follow a clean narrative arc. All you can do is try to be better and A.J.’s efforts, and this interview, may help with that.

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