Gerard Way, frontman of My Chemical Romance, would not be taking the stage at Riot Fest 2022 without the guidance of Dave Chappelle. Way opened up on My Turning Point podcast about his life about the dissolution of My Chemical Romance, noting, “So Dave Chappelle, post ‘Chappelle’s Show,’ he had gone away, which I really related to, by the way. When it had felt time to kind of end My Chemical Romance, I found his situation, although very different from mine, obviously, to be very relatable, being in this kind of machine that had gotten super big and felt a bit out of control, and then kind of not wanting to do it anymore for mental health reasons.”
Outside of a handful of solo projects, Way spent nearly a decade out of the spotlight before calling on his loyal Killjoys to assemble at the end of 2019. During that duration, Way recentered his mental health and has bettered himself in his time away from the spotlight.
Whether he wants the spotlight or not, Way is the voice of a movement. Despite constantly being thrust into the spotlight, both Way and Chappelle are reminders that you can never achieve what you’re destined to if you don’t put your mental health first.
Mental health services for Chicagoland can be found here.
