A former ABC News anchor said he attempted suicide in 2018 after facing a hostile work environment at the network.
While promoting his memoir, "Five Trips: An Investigative Journey into Mental Health, Psychedelic Healing, and Saving a Life," ex-ABC News anchor Kendis Gibson detailed the racism and toxicity he faced after joining the network in 2014, per Page Six.
Gibson, who hosted an overnight show, said one unidentified Black correspondent welcomed him to “Mickey’s plantation,” apparently comparing Disney, ABC's parent company, to a slave-owning estate.
The ex-anchor also described a time an unidentified executive confronted him after he wore jeans on air.
“You’re doing television news now, not attending a rap concert. Don’t ever wear jeans again," the exec allegedly said.
Gibson also accused his bosses of retaliation after he helped lead a diversity task force, which aimed to help promote more Black employees to senior positions. The former anchor noted that his appearances on Good Morning America drastically decreased from 212 in two years to eight in the same time period.
“I was so naïve,” Gibson said.
“I had rose-colored glasses on,” he added. “I didn’t think there was racism taking place. I didn’t see all the indications.”
While hosting his overnight show, Gibson said working late hours contributed to “an underlying depression already there”.
Gibson said he requested to change to more sociable hours to no avail. He turned to the drug Ambien to cope with insomnia and anxiety.
In October 2018, Gibson said he reached a breaking point and took Ambien and drank wine after an overnight broadcast. Gibson texted his then-partner to say goodbye before attempting to self-harm. However, the drugs and alcohol in his system made him unable to follow through with his plan, Gibson said.
The broadcaster said loved ones helped him recover and get into therapy.
However, hostility in the workplace continued as an executive allegedly told Gibson that the network spent “more on toilet paper than we ever would” on him. The comment left Gibson "screaming and crying in a fetal position."
“I went into such a dark place on that bathroom floor,” Gibson said. “It was such a tough moment for me. It was clear that I wasn’t fully healed.”
Gibson eventually left the company and moved to Miami, where he presented local news and spent “two years learning from Bipoc [Black, Indigenous, and people of color] plant medicine experts."
“I set out to write a book about my depression, and one thing led to another, and it just evolved into how different psychedelics helped me,” he said. “I’m not pushing anybody into psychedelics, but hopefully it opens up a conversation and encourages people to explore alternatives.”
Gibson is currently serving as an afternoon anchor for PIX11 in New York.
“I’m in a different space,” Gibson said. “It’s the first time I’ve been anywhere where I’m not looking for the next job and I’m comfortable in my skin … It’s not an early morning shift. I’m still not trying to test myself with those hours yet.”
If you or someone you know need mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
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