Heavy/HGTV/YouTube HGTV's Jasmine Roth
Though HGTV star Jasmine Roth is known for her bubbly personality and can-do-it attitude on “Help! I Wrecked My House,” the builder and designer has revealed she’s no stranger to the darkness of mental illness.
“I don’t talk about it much, but mental illness has deeply affected my family,” Roth wrote in a vulnerable Instagram post on June 20, 2024. “It’s not a fun topic, so I try not to give it additional space, but it’s always there and it’s a constant silent stressor.”
In 2019, Roth shared on Facebook that when she and her husband, Brett Roth, got married in 2013, much of her family was not in attendance, including her “dad, brother, paternal grandparents, maternal grandpa, aunts and uncles,” and revealed how hard it was not to take their absence personally.
“My family (like so many families) is ‘weird’ and it took a long time to understand that it was OK to be open about mental illness,” she wrote at the time. “Mental illness has taken an irreversible toll on our family – leaving us questioning daily ‘why.’ Sometimes it’s hard to move forward, and it’s not getting any easier.”
Hoping that others may be helped by speaking up about her own experiences with mental illness, Roth — who’s expecting her second child — said in her June 20 post that becoming a mom in 2021 to daughter Hazel crystallized the importance of figuring out “how to deal with it” so she can be emotionally and physically present for her own children.
Jasmine Roth Says She’s Realized How She Can Be a ‘Good Daughter & Sister’ While Also Prioritizing Being a Mom
In her January 20 post, Roth explained that she called mental illness a “constant quiet stressor” because “it’s something I’ve dealt with my entire life and if left unchecked will easily dominate all my time.”
“I know I’m not alone in this (all families have their challenges),” she continued, “and I know familial obligation is something so many of us struggle with as parents.”
Roth then wrote, “When I became a mom, I started thinking a lot about this pull of obligation and how to deal with it. The need to be there for my extended family, but the necessity of caring for the new family I’d created seemed in constant conflict.”
“Eventually, I realized it all came down to me,” Roth revealed. “I needed to be in control of how I spend my time and energy. That by setting healthy boundaries and committing to maintaining them, I could take back control of my priorities. I started showing up for my extended family in a new way – a less reactive and more emotionally stable way – and so much of the guilt I was carrying disappeared. I can be a good daughter and sister, but the truth is – I’m a mother first – and that’s OK. In fact, that’s the way it should be and I now know that.”
“I share this because I know it’s hard,” Roth concluded. “I hope my story helps encourage someone to rise to the challenge of figuring out what healthy boundaries look like and how you might benefit from setting them. And also because one day a year isn’t nearly enough to focus on mental health awareness when for most of us, it’s something we’re dealing with constantly. You’re not alone. 💛”
Though Roth didn’t go into detail about her family’s struggles with mental health, she has shared other glimpses in the past about how it’s affected her. In December 2018, she shared on Facebook that she’d just heard from her brother for the first time in two months.
“At least he’s alive,” she wrote. “Loving someone dealing with addiction is hard. Actually, it’s harder than hard. For the last 5 weeks (that was the last time anyone had any contact with him) I have had this growing concern in the back of my head. To care about someone seemingly more than they care about themselves is exhausting.”
Fans Rally Around Jasmine Roth & Thank Her For Her Honesty
As soon as Roth posted her latest reflections on her family’s challenges with mental illness, fans swooped in with support and gratitude, including someone who thanked Roth for her “honesty and vulnerability.”
One wrote, “Thank you for sharing your story with us Jasmine 💛❤️. That was very brave of you. So many people struggle with mental health and to have someone like you reach out is wonderful. Well done you xxx”
“Thank you sooo much for sharing this …🙏🤗💗,” another commented. “You give hope to us all!!!”
“Thank you Jasmine for sharing your story,” someone else chimed in. “This is such an important topic. The women in my family struggle with it and it can be so debilitating. You are touching so many lives right now! You’re AMAZING! 💛💛💛”