Maia Campbell has broken her silence and declined help from former In The House co-star LL Cool J during her public battle with drug addiction.
In an interview with the 85 South Comedy Show, the actress discussed the 2017 incident in which she declined LL’s offer of help after disturbing video surfaced of her asking for drugs at an Atlanta gas station.
“LL Cool J called and tried to get me into rehab. He was trying to pay me $60,000 a month to go back to rehab in Los Angeles. And the family and the people around me, they were just like, ‘No, leave her, we find her, we’ll take care of this.'” They wanted to act like they really knew what I needed and the love that some people had for me. They want to match the energy, the competition. It’s like, “No, we love her.” We’ll deal with it. No, you won’t,” she said, explaining why she turned down LL’s offer.
The former sitcom star appeared on the hit ’90s show In The House with LL Cool J, where they played family members. Their on-screen chemistry made LL’s concerns seem natural to fans who watched her struggle publicly.
The “Poetic Justice” actress revealed that she was dealing with bipolar disorder and substance abuse issues at the time.
“I smoked more cigarettes than weed. I did too much. I did something I shouldn’t have done. Something I should never have. It was not a gift. It misled me and put me in a delusional state,” Campbell revealed.
Since then, Campbell has been working on alcoholism and mental health treatment. She is open about her bipolar diagnosis and the challenges of managing recovery from mental illness and addiction.
“I’ve been clean for six years. Thank you. I’ve done the most. I’m fired up,” Campbell explained.
The actress emphasized that she never doubted LL’s good intentions. She just preferred getting help in a different way during the most vulnerable time of her life.
“I’m back in church now. I’m giving it all up to God. My mental state, my stance and my career have had to take a back seat to things that are normal for me emotionally and just to be a person,” Campbell said.
Maia Campbell now focuses on mental health advocacy, sharing her recovery journey with others and is writing a book to help people facing similar struggles.
