Heavy/Getty Tarek El Moussa
With the February 2024 release of his motivational tell-all, “Flip Your Life: How to Find Opportunity in Distress — in Real Estate, Business and Life,” longtime HGTV star Tarek El Moussa has come clean about his intense and challenging past, including dealing with debilitating substance abuse, two types of cancer, and a messy divorce from former “Flip or Flop” co-star Christina Hall.
Looking back, he now realizes a contributing factor to many of his challenges was his ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), a condition that went undiagnosed throughout his childhood and that he struggled to treat properly for years. Though he was diagnosed at age 17 with “severe ADHD,” El Moussa stopped his medication when he was 18, he recently shared on Instagram, and spiraled into addiction.
But after finding the right medication and dosage “several years ago,” he told Heavy in early February, “I feel more stable and centered than I ever have in my life, which is a wonderful feeling.”
Now that El Moussa knows how much his ADHD contributed to his impulsivity, distractibility, and overwhelm, he’s passionate about encouraging parents and teachers to take the disorder seriously, he told Heavy.
“They have to accept and acknowledge that ADHD is a real thing,” he said.
That’s especially important to the “Flipping El Moussas” star now that he’s also the parent of a child with ADHD. El Moussa recently revealed to E! News that his eight-year-old son Brayden, whom he shares with Hall, has the condition, too.
Here’s what you need to know:
Tarek El Moussa Doesn’t Want His Son Brayden to Experience the Same Things He Did as a Kid With ADHD
In “Flip Your Life,” El Moussa reflects on how he was quickly and consistently labeled by teachers as a distraction and a troublemaker, frequently sent to sit outside their classrooms.
“It was agonizing for me … having to sit still in class, not being able to move, having to be quiet,” he writes, remembering how his sixth grade teacher got so frustrated with him that he “slammed me against the wall.”
El Moussa also distinctly remembers how his kindergarten teacher would make him sit in the back of the room behind a cardboard box so that he couldn’t see his fellow classmates and they couldn’t see him.
“At five years old, I felt completely alone,” he writes.
Though he didn’t get diagnosed until years later, El Moussa eventually realized that there were some benefits to ADHD, such as the ability to get hyper-focused on topics he’s passionate about, he told Heavy. In high school, sports became his outlet and obsession; as an adult, that passion has shifted to real estate investments and sharing his knowledge with others.
“Instead of having all that anxiety and overwhelm, I learned how to harness and channel the ADHD,” he said. “So I think it’s really important for anyone with ADHD to find something they’re extremely passionate about. Because when you have ADHD, if you find something you love, you can become obsessive in it and you’re willing to do whatever it takes to learn what it is you’re interested in learning.”
It’s a strategy he’s already using with his own son, Brayden.
Calling him his “mini-me,” El Moussa told E! News, “He’s ADHD, a little anxious, a little jumpy. And we’ve been having so much fun focusing on sports with him — jujitsu, soccer and he’s obsessed with basketball.”
Tarek El Moussa Asks Parents & Teachers to ‘Be Understanding’ of Kids With ADHD
GettyTarek El Moussa holds his new book, “Flip Your Life,” while visiting The Empire State Building on February 06, 2024 in New York City.
El Moussa — who also shares daughter Taylor, 13, with Hall and has a one-year-old son, Tristan, with his second wife, Heather — told Heavy that though discovering and tapping into one’s passions is a great strategy for those with ADHD, it’s not always as easy as it sounds.
“When you have ADHD, a lot of times it’s hard just to take the first step because you’re paralyzed and you’re frozen,” he said.
That makes it all the more important for schools, doctors and parents to recognize and seek help for young people exhibiting the common characteristics of the condition, El Moussa said.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, ADHD is “considered a chronic and debilitating disorder and is known to impact the individual in many aspects of their life including academic and professional achievements, interpersonal relationships, and daily functioning.” Common symptoms are inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity.
“The number one thing parents and teachers need to do is be understanding,” El Moussa told Heavy. “The kid isn’t doing these things to be bad. The kid’s doing these things because they can’t help themselves. It’s very important to understand that, acknowledge that and accept that.”