Chris Rock is opening up more about seeking treatment for his mental health struggles amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The 55-year-old comedian and Fargo actor had revealed to the Hollywood Reporter in September that he undergoes therapy for seven hours a week with two therapists. In a new interview with Gayle King for CBS Sunday Morning, Rock revealed that he had increased the frequency of his visits after COVID-19 hit the country and talked about what he's learned from his sessions.
"I learned that I could be very hard on myself," he said in the interview, which is set to air on Sunday, Jan. 3. "Like really, really hard on myself, and I need to relax. And I need to listen, I need to take chances."
Rock told King that one of the ways he worked on himself during the pandemic was by learning how to swim. He also said during the interview that in therapy, you "have to tell the truth" and be "prepared to tell the worst part of yourself every week."
"Sometimes I wasn't kind, and sometimes I wasn't listening, and sometimes I was selfish, and some, you know, a lot of times," Rock said. "And sometimes, you know, I took advantage of circumstances, and positions, of you know, just everyday things. And you know, it's ultimately, who do you want to be?"
The Hollywood Reporter had revealed that with the aid of two therapists, Rock has been trying to make sense of his limitations and the toll that childhood trauma has taken on him. The star told the outlet that he was diagnosed with nonverbal learning disorder, or NVLD, which means he finds it difficult to interpret non-verbal signals and often takes things too literally.
"By the way, all of those things are really great for writing jokes—they're just not great for one-on-one relationships," he said, adding, "And I'd always just chalked it up to being famous. Any time someone would respond to me in a negative way, I'd think, 'Whatever, they're responding to something that has to do with who they think I am.'"
He continued, " Now, I'm realizing it was me. A lot of it was me."