7 celebrities who have opened up about being bipolar: from Kanye West and Selena Gomez to Mariah Carey, Braveheart star Mel Gibson and Stranger Things’ actor David Harbour

Feb 1 , 2024

Selena Gomez, Kanye West and Mariah Carey have all spoken out about their bipolar diagnoses. Photos: @Getty Images; @yewest321; @mariahcarey/Instagram

From losing deals with Adidas to trolling Kim Kardashian’s then-beau Pete Davidson, many believe Ye’s controversial outbursts are a result of his bipolar disorder

Fellow bipolar singer Halsey defended the ‘Heartless’ rapper, but what did other stars – from Selena Gomez to Demi Lovato and Mariah Carey – say about their condition?

Having a mental health disorder does not define you, but it can affect how you see and experience the world. Bipolar disorder can cause unusual shifts in people’s moods, ranging from extreme highs classed as “manic” episodes, to depressive lows, according to US government body Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

And while dealing with the condition is hard enough for most, being in the public eye can make things even more difficult. Kanye West, aka Ye, is probably the most notable example of a celebrity whose erratic behaviour has caused controversy in recent years – losing deals with Adidas and harassing Pete Davidson among them – but he’s not the only famous person to struggle with the disorder.

These are eight stars who have opened up about being bipolar.

1. Ye, aka Kanye West

Kanye West has called being bipolar his “superpower”. Photo: @PigsAndPlans/X

Since being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2016, Ye (formerly known as Kanye West)’s behaviour has often been characterised as manic by the media, though the rapper has clapped back against that assumption in the past. “It’s cheap and dismissive to say I’m off my meds anytime I speak up,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter two years ago.

Ye has also described being bipolar as his “superpower” and, during an interview with Jimmy Kimmel in 2018, he said he was glad his mum didn’t fully medicate him from an early age because he “might have never been Ye”.

2. Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez made an Apple TV+ documentary about her bipolar disorder and mental health struggles called My Mind & Me. Photo: EPA

Selena Gomez had no idea she was bipolar until she was diagnosed at a mental health facility in 2018. “I think when I started hitting my early twenties is … when I started to feel like I was not in control of what I was feeling, whether that was really great or really bad,” she told Rolling Stone.

Since getting help for the condition, Gomez has made a documentary about it called My Mind & Me for Apple TV+.

3. Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey says she was in denial about being bipolar at first, before getting treatment. Photo: AP

The “We Belong Together” singer may be one of the biggest stars on the planet, but she suffered in silence for years – largely because she didn’t want to believe that she had the disorder, she told People magazine in 2018.