Jerry Maguire's Jonathan Lipnicki Reveals Battle With Depression and Anxiety Following Years of Bullying

Childhood actor is all grown up and opening up about his challenging in school

Jonathan Lipnicki is reminding fans that being a child star isn't all glitz and glamour.

More than 20 years after starring in Jerry Maguire as Ray Boyd, the Hollywood star is opening up about the years of bullying he endured after his big-screen project.  

"As a kid/teen, I was made fun of relentlessly by some people who are now even my friends on FB. I was told I was a has-been and would never book a job again," he wrote to his Instagram followers this week. "I was made to feel like garbage every day of middle school to the point where I had a panic attack every night before school, because I wondered how I would get through the next day."

"In high school, a certain kid emphatically called me a has-been in front of my Econ class," Jonathan continued. "(Tempted to tag him). It was humiliating."

What he experienced in school partly contributed to his battle with anxiety and depression.

A post shared by Jonathan Lipnicki (@jonathanlipnicki) on Mar 15, 2017 at 8:32am PDT

While Jonathan is open about sharing his story, he doesn't want to be viewed as a "victim." In fact, he doesn't even want sympathy. Instead, he hopes his personal story will help other fans experiencing something similar.

"I'm not a victim, I'm a survivor and kids will hopefully see that they can be too. I'm telling this story on my own terms," he shared through Instagram. "My confidence is built on the many, many failures I've had. My confidence is built on the fact that I won't quit."

While Jonathan celebrates his latest projects, he's also feeling good about a new milestone. Recently, the actor realized that he had made more movies as an adult than as a kid.

"This makes me really emotional. I didn't expect to feel like this, but I do," he explained to his followers. "Sure they aren't studio films or wide releases, but they are in theaters! I am chasing my dreams and I couldn't be happier.

"Chase your dreams, it's amazing how mean people peak in their teens," he added. "Thank you to everyone who has supported and continues to support me. I love you and I hope that sharing this can shed a little light in a positive way."