Why exactly are there so many celebrity "mental health" podcasts?

Cafe Society
1

It seems like when a celebrity has a podcast there’s two default options, an interview podcast where they interview their celebrity friends, or a “mental health” podcast, former Royals Harry and Meghan had a mental health podcast for example before it infamously went away. I just learned Taylor Lautner from Twilight now has his own mental health podcast The Squeeze which describes itself as thus

“It” being our mental health and well being. Host Taylor Lautner’s (no, not that guy, but she is married to that guy) introduction to mental health was at a young age, witnessing friends and family suffer in ways she couldn’t fully understand. She started a nursing career in the peak of the pandemic and has been struggling with her own mental health ever since. Tay is joined co-host, husband Taylor Lautner, in addition to celebrity and expert guests to further the conversation surrounding mental wellness. At the end of the day, we’re all pretty similar; even those living in the lime-est of lights can be weighed down by sour lemons. In addition to sharing coping strategies and stories, we hope that above all, this podcast offers the comfort of knowing you are not alone.

I’m just curious, do we really need this many mental health podcasts?

2

Celebrities need something to keep people interested in them, there are brownie points for being a victim so mental health seems like a perfect subject for those so inclined to self-publicity

Hard to diagnose, infinite varieties and severities to choose from, no outward physical evidence required (not like losing a leg or MS), no medical experience or hard work required in order to give advice either. We are at the point where there are roughly two podcast for every person on earth and all subjects are mined out, they need something nebulous to exploit.

There are certainly valid podcasts that investigate and explore real mental health issues, there are also plenty that are jumping on the bandwagon with the hosts believing that the common mental health issues they have are special because they are. They aren’t harmful I don’t think but nor are they particularly insightful.

3

Just a guess here, but perhaps they themselves need something for mental health. It could be a type of therapy for them.