Gerard Way Reveals My Chemical Romance Fame Was 'Extremely Traumatic'

Gerard Way took part in the Unwound & Unplugged virtual mental health benefit concert and panel alongside Julien Baker and DeathbyRomy on Tuesday (March 2).

During the panel, Way opened up about his therapy experience as well as the impact My Chemical Romance's fame had on his mental health. He began by explaining that he's been going to therapy for close to a decade but he had many years where he did not go when he should have.

“There were lots of years of no therapy, probably when I needed them the most during this kind of a whirlwind. It wasn’t until towards the end of the band that I just needed it, I needed therapy,” he explained. “I had so much to process, so much to work through and so much to discover. I had so much to take ownership of, there were just so many things I had to do so I’ve been working very hard at therapy.”

He went on to say that the fame of My Chemical Romance, fame he had zero intention of receiving, was a really dreadful and depressing period of his life. 

“I found fame to be extremely traumatic. I found the entire experience of being in My Chemical Romance and it kind of exploding into this thing of bigness in a way that it was never intended, I needed the last seven or eight years to process that experience,” he said. 

The trauma he experienced resulted in him withdrawing from people and isolating himself. He talked about a very dark time in his life that happened while the band was on the road during the Danger Days era.

"The hotel room ended up being this kind of dark place. When we would get to them, I would basically barricade myself and never come out. I wouldn’t let housekeeping in and I would have the curtains closed,” he said. “It was just this really cold dark place on the road when I was struggling during Danger Days with some pretty bad depression and anxiety and things like that.”

You can watch the full panel above. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing anxiety and/or depression, call the free and confidential SAMHSA National Helpline 24/7 at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Photo: Getty Images