Mychal Threets, the host of the revived children's educational series "Reading Rainbow," has announced he is checking himself into a hospital. Threets, 36, shared a cryptic post on Threads this week stating, "I am not okay. Maybe I’ll never be okay. I’m seeking help. Going to the hospital tomorrow. In this moment I am safe. By God’s grace." He expressed gratitude for the support of those in his life.
Celebrities and public figures responded to Threets' post with messages of support. Actress Yvette Nicole Brown encouraged him to seek help immediately, while entrepreneur Nicole Waters emphasized the 24/7 availability of hospital support and the strength in sharing his feelings openly.
Threets became the host of "Reading Rainbow" in September 2025, following the series' revival. The show, originally launched on PBS in 1983, centers on a featured book in each episode and aims to foster a love of reading in children. Threets, who is also a librarian, gained significant online attention in 2023 after sharing videos of his work at the Fairfield Civic Center Library in California. He was subsequently named the resident librarian for PBS in 2024.
This announcement follows a TikTok video Threets posted weeks earlier, which also concerned fans. In that video, he stated, "If today is my last day in the land of the living, I just wanted to say I love you and I’m proud of you." He added, "The world, the library is best with you in it. Thank you for staying."
Threets has previously spoken about his mental health struggles, including challenges with depression and anxiety. In a January 2026 interview with People, he reflected on his rise to fame, describing himself as "still a very introverted person." He noted that his public experiences had prompted him to become more extroverted and comfortable discussing libraries, stories, and mental health.
Despite his introverted nature, Threets explained that his passion for reading and libraries motivates him to continue his public role. "I still have hard days and I'd much rather be behind the scenes," he told People. "But for a chance to amplify libraries, amplify people's stories - essentially, I serve almost as a narrator of library joy, and I'm honored to do it. Everybody had a place in the library, in books. I'm just so thankful, so proud, to be able to unleash this story on the world."