I've Always Hated Myself, Escaped Towards Food, Alcohol, Pot Says AIB Fame Tanmay Bhat

Comedian and founder of AIB Tanmay Bhat has been quite vocal about his struggles as an overweight kid. Amid all the memes and videos that take his fans on a laughter ride, Bhat penned down an emotional post reflecting on 'self-hate' and how he intends to change it and walk towards healing.

He wrote, "I’ve avoided thinking about my body except as a punch line. Which is surprising considering how many of my decisions have subconsciously been driven by how I feel about myself. Earlier this year my therapist asked me - “Do you like yourself Tanmay?” I broke down. Fact is I’ve always hated myself."

"Ironically, the self-hate manifests itself as even more self-sabotage. Instead of healing my mind or body, I’ve escaped toward food, alcohol, pot, skipped workouts and too little or too much sleep. But I’m starting anew today", he added.

View this post on Instagram

Despite being so public, there’s something I’ve avoided talking about publicly; my relationship with my body. As we joked about me in the roast, “there’s an elephant in the room”. I’ve avoided thinking about my body except as a punch line. Which is surprising considering how many of my decisions have subconsciously been driven by how I feel about myself. Earlier this year my therapist asked me - “Do you like yourself Tanmay?” I broke down. Fact is I’ve always hated myself. Just thinking about the amount of self-hate, anger and sadness I’ve repressed for the last 3 decades makes me want to go back to Barfiwala High School in the 90s and hug myself as a kid. Ironically, the self-hate manifests itself as even more self-sabotage. Instead of healing my mind or body, I’ve escaped toward food, alcohol, pot, skipped workouts and too little or too much sleep. To be good to yourself, you have to like yourself. To like yourself, you have to be good to yourself. I’ve been terrible to myself and to too many people who have tried to help. It’s time to heal. It’s time to let go. 
I’ve tried and failed at this journey more times than I can count and it’s tempting to give up. But I’m starting anew today. And this time I’ll take you all with me on this journey. Let’s do this. #60

A post shared by Tanmay Bhat (@tanmaybhat) on Oct 1, 2019 at 9:30am PDT

In 2018, the #MeToo movement gained momentum in India, naming and shaming several stalwarts in the country including those in the field of entertainment. This list also included Tanmay Bhat. According to Twitter posts, he was accused of knowing about Utsav Chakraborty’s alleged acts of sexually harassing some women at the workplace, and not doing anything about it.

Bhat publicly addressed the issue, and also went on to reveal his struggles with depression. Ever since then, the comedy sensation has been out of public eye, up until now.