It is rather an ironic tragedy that a once celebrated Stand-up Comedian who called himself “The Humour Therapist” cannot find any “therapy” for his own predicament.
I quiet remember many years back when Funny Face was really Funny Face and commanded every stage he stepped on , causing people to laugh with his jokes and dance moves. On every Radio and TV interview he went on, he insisted on being labelled a “Humour Therapist”. He demanded that they call him a Humour Therapist instead of a Comedian.
We all know who a Therapist is. One job of a Therapist is to provide solutions to any person going through a Mental or emotional problems. Funny Face described himself as a Specialist who provided laughter as a cure to people’s emotional and psychological problems.
Fast forward to present times and the irony that hits us now is that Funny Face is not getting the Therapy he needs for all the dark and traumatic times he is going through.
First of all, it sad to note that the one who used to brighten our screens and stage with his comedic abilities, having commanded several stages to make us laugh, and gracing our screens with comic series like “Cow and Chicken” among others, is ironically not getting the empathy and understanding of the public he once served.
With all the drama in his marriage and family, to the suspected mental health challenges that landed him at the Psychiatric ward plus his days in prison and all the public backlash over his rantings and angry outbursts on social media, one would have thought that people would have the insight that the guy is going through a tough mental challenge and needs therapy, not condemnation.
It is hard if one, especially a celebrity, has to go through tough times which gives him or her mental breakdowns, to act normally. They become jerky, feel abandoned, betrayed and fearful that they will lose everything and everyone. These are symptoms of depression and certain psychological disorders which I wouldn’t like to go into now. The point here is that Funny Face was emotional challenged and wanted someone who would listen and understand his side of the stories but he got o one, according to him.
Psychologists suggest that when a person gets to this point of disorder, he or she may either isolate himself or herself from society and wallow in pity to the point of having suicidal tendencies ( I don’t know if Funny Face ever got to that point) or he or she would be forced to grow very tough and aggressive towards the world since no one cares for him or her. The latter part is where the person becomes so angry all the time and fights anyone whom he or she sees as a threat or opposition. These are the tendencies we keep seeing in Funny Face right now and it is partly ( and I said partly) due to the fact that he has no one to offer him the right comfort and advise , therapy.
One may conclude harshly that we are all responsible for our behaviours so Funny Face should man-up and bite the bullet with a sense of maturity.. That is true and right in every sense but you can only say that if you have practically put yourself in his shoes and tried to understand his psychological make-up. Funny Face is an emotional person and such people need the right kind of guidance and therapy to hold their emotions in check if situations go haywire. I don’t think it is fair the way people are throwing condemnation at him.
On the other hand, Funny Face is not helping himself by still wanting to stay in the limelight whiles dealing with the burden of all these personal and family issues. I understand he is a celebrity who feels his career is crushing. But, Funny Face also needs to understand that before he became famous, he had a life and before this comedic career, no one knew what his passion, childhood days and life in general was for him growing up. Sometimes, he cries whenever he tells the story about how he grew up in the ghettos and had to struggle to complete even his Senoir High education.
Funny Face needs to take a back seat and stop being desperate to hold on to a chapter of his life which came unexpectedly but has become a reality now. Life has a way of visiting us in unexpected ways, some good, some bad, some ugly…Whichever way it comes, you must never lose your original self just because it is hard to accept things the way they have become.
The milk has already been spilt, and there is no need clinging on to past glories and ignoring the present reality. It is life and it is just a passing phase depending on how you handle it. The point here is that there is no need for Funny Face to go on social media trying to justify or vindicate himself anymore. The reality is that no one gives a “hoot” about it. “BROTHER, YOU GO EXPLAIN TIRE”.
Funny Face has to move on from this phase of his life and that can best be done if he takes a back seat or take a vacation from the whole drama just to go and cool off and rebuild himself, psychologically, spiritually, emotionally and physically. There is a reason why it is binding in the Labour laws that every worker needs to take a vacation or go on leave at a point. Stress and depression can kill prematurely and we don’t want that for Funny Face.
At the American awards ceremony when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage, he lost movies contracts and other endorsement deals. Will faced public scorn for what he did. Next thing he did was just to apologise and then suddenly disappeared from the hollywood scenes. He took a long vacation that saw him travelling to other parts of the world where he gained sober reflection and renewed his spirit with nature and other mediations. Now, Will Smith is back and more emotionally stronger than before. Everyone respects a beautiful and strong comeback.
Funny Face ought to stop holding on to what he has already lost and go into hiding , a retreat sort of where he can cool off and rebuild himself. This should be away from family, friends, and any other distraction. He needs to be away for at least two months to recoup.
He should have no fear that his family would abadon him if he does that…No way, they will not. A family rather loves to give a father and husband who knows how to keep his emotions in check for the sake of the children. Everyone loves a leader who overcomes trauma and offers hope of survival for the younger ones. Funny Face can do better than still staying on social media and revealing everything to everyone. No one cares about your troubles but when you bounce back stronger and survived the problem and overcome it, that brings about more respect and admiration from people.
Funny Face must take a break and exit the scene for a while just to recover and bounce back better. I recommend he goes to a prayer camp or isolate himself to a remote place where he can soak himself in the Word of God and prayers… God always heals the soul and a broken and contrite spirit, God will never reject. The world may not care about you..but Jesus cares and loves your soul to a fault.
