“Don’t want to be reminded of this very nasty and unbearable narrative” — Tyrese says he’s quitting social media following remarks on masculinity

Tyrese Gibson announced quitting social media following a rant on masculinity and mental health. The rapper-actor, fresh from the release of his latest film and album, took to his Instagram on Sunday, September 1, 2024, to write a lengthy post.

"I'm officially retired from social media. I'm gonna go dark. I'm gonna pray I'm gonna turn my comments off because I don't want to be reminded of this very nasty and unbearable narrative that REAL MEN don't cry," he began.

He continued to add that it is not only women who get depressed or suicidal after suffering a miscarriage. Along with his message, he shared a clip of himself shedding tears at the red carpet premiere of his new film, 1992. Tyrese continued:

"REAL MEN these days are constantly being emasculated and someone has said lately even have the nerve to put the word TOXIC in front of MASCULINITY.. yes, the epic failure of trying to make me feel bad about literally being A MAN, an APLHA MALE, protective or OUTspoken FATHER or HEAD of my HOUSEHOLD."

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"We cry and have feelings TOO!" - Tyrese advocates for men's mental health

In his Instagram post, Tyrese referenced his ex, Samantha Lee, who filed for divorce from the Lately rapper in 2020. The pair went through rough divorce proceedings over child support. He said he would not bring up his ex-wife or any feelings he harbors towards her. Gibson added that his latest album, Beautiful Pain (released on August 30, 2024), would not have existed otherwise, stating:

"BECAUSE THIS ALBUM THAT HAS BURNED DOWN THE INTERNET called BEAUTIFUL PAIN wouldn't exist if I was still married!"

Tyrese also spoke about his relationship with his girlfriend, Zelie Timothy, praising her for seeing the good in him despite his pain. While he also noted how mothers play an important role in bringing life, Tyrese stressed that people should not overlook men's feelings. He wrote:

"Men will never ever ever be able to have that capability! But WE AS FATHERS KINGS, HUSBANDS , PROVIDERS MATTER TOO we cry and have feelings TOO!"

The rapper-actor concluded his post with a message to support his film and album.

Gibson's comments come weeks after appearing on the iHeart's The Breakfast Club, where he ended up breaking into tears. As they discussed his failed marriage and the deaths of those close to him, including his mother, the actor ended up shedding tears.

"I'm doing the best I can with every 24 hours I get," he began before asserting, "Black men cry."

He explained that nothing—money, work collaboration, or person—could replace his mother. He continued to say there was nothing that could fill the void left by a divorce.

At the time, Tyrese again advocated checking on men when they are going through a divorce or ups and downs in their careers, stating:

"When divorces happen, women aren't the only ones that are devastated. When a miscarriage happens, women are not the only ones that you should be checking on. When you can't put food on the table because your career goes up and then it goes down, stop skipping over the man and just checking on the woman."

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Beautiful Pain is available to stream on Apple Music, and his latest film, 1992, is currently running in theatres.