Sia Shares Comedian Kathy Griffin Saved Her Life After Battling Suicidal Ideations

The Chandelier singer and songwriter Sia opens up about how the criticism over her recently released movie impacted her mental health.

In an interview with the New York Times, the musician shared how she developed suicidal ideation and even entered rehab because of the torrent of negative criticism to her directorial debut, Music.

Alamy

The Australian singer also opened up about her bonding with Kathy Griffin, who she credits with saving her life at the time.

The movie that Sia refers to was released in 2021 and follows the story of a non-verbal Autistic child (played by Sia's protege Maddie Ziegler) and her carer (played by actor Kate Hudson).

Alamy

As soon as the movie was released, it garnered criticism and became an instant box office flop. Not only this but the movie faced backlash from Autism advocates for its tone-deaf treatment of neuro-divergence.

Following the backlash, there were petitions launched to stop the movie from having its Golden Globe nominations and got hundreds of thousands of signatures, and Sia was criticized across every social media.

Alamy

"Music is severely ableist and contributes to harmful stereotypes of autistic people," wrote Nina Skov Jensen in a Change.org petition campaigning against the movie. "The fact that Music has been nominated for two Golden Globes awards illustrates the complete disregard the entire entertainment industry has for inclusivity and minority representation.

"Despite claiming her movie to be a ‘love letter to caregivers and to the autism community, (Sia) is actually telling the autistic community that she doesn’t care about them,” she added.

Alamy

As the backlash got intense, Sia kept her profile low.  Now, in a New York Times profile of her close friend Kathy Griffin, the 46-year old singer has revealed that the reaction to Music plunged her into a mental health crisis.

"I was suicidal and relapsed and went to rehab," she said.

She also revealed that it was Griffin who pulled her out of the low episode, saying: "She saved my life."

Alamy

Sia described Griffin as the one who helped her out by inviting her to dine at a Hollywood restaurant where she knew there would be paparazzi, knowing it could change the conversation around the pop star.

This isn't the first time that Sia has spoken candidly about her mental health.

Back in 2018, in an interview with Rolling Stone, she revealed that her track 'Breathe Me' was written following a suicide attempt.

Alamy

The Australian chart-topper also opened up about another attempt to end her life back in 2010, during which she was saved by a friend. She said: "There must have been a part of me that really wanted to live, because in that moment, I thought, 'There’s a world out there and I’m not a part of it. But I might like to be.'"

Alamy

This article contains information that many people will find difficult to deal with. 

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please reach out for help and contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741, or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.