Kevin Hart And Taraji P. Henson Get Real About Mental Health

Kevin Hart’s talk show Hart to Heart premiered on NBC’s Peacock streaming service on Aug 5. And during an episode set to air on Aug 12, actress Taraji P. Henson and the comedian will discuss two deep-rooted issues in the Black community, mental health and generational trauma.  

“It’s frowned upon in our community, in our culture for some reason. And I don’t why but it’s looked at as ….,” Hart said in an exclusive clip obtained by BET.com.  

To which, Oscar-nominated actress Henson interjected, “Weakness.” 

Henson has been a mental health advocate for quite some time and created the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation in 2018, named after her father, a Vietnam War veteran who had PTSD and bipolar disorder. 

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“It’s deep for us,” the Golden Globe award-winning actress continued explaining the tough conversations talking about mental health and generational trauma. “You’re talking about 400 years of oppression. So you’re talking about trauma that Black people have learned to normalize. We’ve been doing it for over 400 years.”

Henson further explained the true meaning of hush puppies, the fried cornmeal side dish widely known in the south, and how it is connected to Black folks staying quiet about their pain.  

“I just found out that hush puppies were actually used by runaway slaves to keep the dogs off of them,” she said. “Hush… puppy. See these are things that we’ve normalized so imagine all the other things we’ve normalized. Trying to be strong, push through.”

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However, Henson believes that one’s strength is in being vulnerable.

“The danger is trying to cope with all of this compounded trauma that we have ensued and continued to endure.” 

Watch the exclusive clip below, and be sure to check out the next episode of Hart to Heart on Aug. 12 only on Peacock.