Tyrese always worked hard. He grew up as the youngest of four kids in a single-parent household, and he got his big break after seeing a sign posted in his high school saying Coca-Cola was looking for an African-American male for a commercial. So he literally hopped on the bus to get to the audition (just like in the commercial) and landed the part. From then on, it seemed like there was nothing that he touched that did not turn to gold: movies, books, albums, etc. He took jobs for granted and started feeling entitled, so he stopped working hard. His attitude went from “I’m working hard for this” to “This is mine” – and he just stopped caring. He packed on the pounds, nearly 50 lbs to be exact, and saw his career take a downturn while everything else fell to pieces.
When the offers stopped coming and his once-chiseled body, the same body that would get girls swooning every time, started to go away too, he knew something needed to be done.
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One day, Gibson stood naked in a mirror and saw a confused, 248-pound man. He had some hard choices to make. And now, 2 years later, he smiles at his nearly 50lb lighter reflection.
Tyrese: “I Needed Help” was originally published on blackdoctor.org
