Regina King opened up in the first TV interview since her late son, Ian Alexander Jr., took his own life in January 2022 at the age of 26.
The actor/director sat with “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts for an exclusive interview. She shared how she has been handling her grief and her son’s experience of depression and how she’s honoring him after his death.
Ian’s death was officially ruled a suicide by the Los Angeles County Coroner. He was King’s only child, whom she shared with her ex-husband, record producer Ian Alexander Sr.
“I’m a different person, you know, now than I was Jan. 19. Grief is a journey, you know? I understand that grief is love that has no place to go,” the Academy Award winner told Roberts.
Regina King explained that even though she’s a “different person” now, sometimes she still feels “guilt” about her son’s suicide two years ago.
But she has come to “respect and understand” his choice. She is dedicated to honoring “the totality of who he is.”
“When it comes to depression, people expect it to look a certain way, and they expect it to look heavy. And people expect that to have to experience this and not be able to have the time to just sit with Ian’s choice, which I respect and understand,” she shared about her son’s struggle with depression. “You know that he didn’t wanna be here anymore; that’s a hard thing for other people to receive because they did not live our experience, did not live Ian’s journey.”
King also revealed that seeing her son struggle with his mental health brought about anger within her. She disclosed how she was “so angry with God.”
“With all of the things that we had gone through with the therapy, with psychiatrists and programs, and Ian was like, ‘I’m tired of talking, Mom,'” she reminisced.
