Bretman Rock on stage in Season 2 of “MTV’s Following: Bretman Rock”
Maria Pena
Minutes of the new season of MTV’s Next: Bretman Rock The reality show star joins her sister in her first therapy session, where she quickly transitions from skepticism to sharing.
It’s the start of a major mental health story that weaves throughout Season 2, which returns June 27 on MTV YouTube. And like pretty much everything the 23-year-old celebrity and gender-bending beauty pioneer puts out in the world, she’s refreshingly unadorned.
“I don’t want to throw my mom under the bus, but I feel like the older generation didn’t really believe in mental health and so every time I told my mom as a kid about something that was bothering me, she thought that I was being dramatic when in reality I could have been having an anxiety attack,” he says. “So all my life I thought she was making it up for me, and that’s why I was afraid to see a therapist because I was never allowed to talk about my feelings.”
The idea that some of his fans (he has amassed more than 45 million of them across all platforms) may be experiencing something similar prompted Rock to introduce the scenario on the show, which is set at his home in Hawaii, where he has been. living from his family. he emigrated from the Philippines when he was 7 years old.
“I wanted to capture more of the essence that there are some people who are afraid to see a therapist, afraid to talk about their mental health, and just show me that journey, as well as overcoming generational trauma.”
Whether it’s onstage at Cannes Lions, where he just announced his new position as creative director at Logitech, or hanging out with his family and a tight-knit group of friends on set, Rock has cultivated a talent for being as accessible as he is. bold. Which puts you in a great position to help de-stigmatize mental health by sharing his experience, including his new form of therapy.
“I’ve actually been watching one since the show, and I’m really proud of myself,” he says. “After the show I thought, ‘The therapy was good. I did enough. But then I started seeing a therapist on my own and it was like, ‘Wow, I have more to deal with.’ I haven’t seen one in a hot minute and I can’t wait to go home to Hawaii and see it.”
Rock also shares more this season about what goes on behind the scenes to introduce his camera-ready influencer persona, Bretman Rock, as distinguished from his private self, whom he refers to simply as Bretman.
“Sometimes I’ll post a little snippet of my morning and read a tweet that says, ‘Bretman’s life in Hawaii is so perfect.’ Yes, it’s nice to live on an island, but people don’t realize the other things that come with it, that’s what I need to show more of. Yes, my life is perfect in front of the camera, but, my God… ”, he says.
“I talk a lot about work this season. For influencers and creators, our world is kind of like… not many people know that and how exhausting it is, I think. I want to explain to people that while it may not be physically taxing, it is mentally taxing. And this season I talk a lot more about how the job really affects Bretman. I try to separate Bretman and Bretman Rock, and this season captures a little more of both.”
Island life keeps him grounded, Rock acknowledges. “I grew up in the Philippines and Hawaii, where fame isn’t necessarily what people are looking for. Back home in Hawaii, no one cares about Bretman Rock. And with a population of four people, everyone who wants to meet me on the island has met me by now,” he jokes. “But when I’m in Los Angeles and Cannes and New York, that’s the only time I feel the fame. So to be honest, I still don’t know what fame really is.”
Part of her process lately is learning to set limits. While Rock shares generously with his fans, he admits there’s one topic he’s keeping off limits for now.
“I feel like I’m continually learning about my limits with both Bretman and Bretman Rock.” he says. “A safe limit that I have learned is [around] my relationship with the boys. I share as much as Bretman Rock. I share about my family, my childhood… I have always been an open book. But I don’t really open up about my love life, my heart. I reserve that for Bretman.
He has also been intensifying his meditation practice, something that has been a part of his life since childhood, including experimenting with drums and healing bowls.
“Believe it or not, I am such a morning person. I wake up every day at 6 o’clock. My grandmother taught me to meditate very early in life and worked a lot with the sun. One thing she told me is that when you catch the first rays of light it is the purest light that the sun gives. And then I literally wake up and let the sun in so I can meditate in front of it. Sometimes I get messages from my grandmother, sometimes I get messages from the sun. I’m a Leo, so I feel more connected to the sun,” she says.
“I’ve also been on this really weird spiritual journey that came out of nowhere. It’s not like you wake up one day and start seeing ghosts. It’s not a third eye thing. It is a process and you are becoming more in tune with yourself and the world and sometimes you wake up very tired. But one thing I’ve noticed is that I’ve found it easier to manifest things. I began to write more in my journal, to meditate more and to trust myself more. I’m very self-aware.”
That self-awareness has been guiding him to assess not only his relationship with himself, but with those closest to him.
“It didn’t really hit me until this season, to be honest. It was the first time I reflected on how much time I spent with my family. If you look at all my older videos, I was always with my niece, my mom, my sister. But after season 1, my life completely changed. I started doing less influencer stuff and more, dare I say, celebrity stuff. I moved an hour away from my mom and sister and my career changed a lot,” she says.
“I have been traveling much more often and when you are very busy it is difficult to think about what you lack. I feel like this is the biggest success I’ve ever had, but it’s the most detached I’ve ever had, not just with my family, but honestly with the world.”
Which brings Rock back to sanity and the conversation he’s having with his fans.
“This is the only time I’ve ever talked about mental health on any of my platforms because I just didn’t know how to talk about it,” he says. “I never want to sound insensitive. I just hope you know that I come from a genuine place.
Hollywood & Mind is a recurring column that lives at the intersection of entertainment and wellness, featuring interviews with musicians, actors, athletes and other cultural influencers who are elevating conversation and action around mental health.
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