Britain's Got Talent judge KSI opens up about depression, 'midlife crisis' and secret therapy sessions
KSI, the newest star on Britain's Got Talent's judging panel, has been a hit on the show - however, he has previously opened up about his struggles with overwhelming fame, revealing that therapy has been life-changing for him
YouTube star KSI, who recently joined the Britain's Got Talent judging panel, has opened up about his mental health struggles as his career continues to grow in the spotlight.
The social media star has embraced his role as a judge after stepping in for Bruno Tonioli on several audition dates, earning praise and sparking hopes that he may become a permanent fixture on BGT.
Olajide Olayinka Williams "JJ" Olatunji, better known as KSI, shot to fame after starting his YouTube channel in the late 2000s with gaming commentary videos he created from his family bedroom.
The star then went on to form YouTube group The Sidemen, invest in multiple business ventures, pursue a boxing career and ventured into music - bagging himself 14 top 40 singles.
Although before all of his other ventures, the content creator found himself questioning the meaning of life, "Is this it?" as he felt overwhelmed by the all-consuming nature of his YouTube career.
In a previous interview, KSI shared his journey, revealing that he initially took a break from the platform but didn't seek professional help until years later. He had previously viewed therapy as a sign of weakness but eventually came to see its value.
Now, he continues to attend sessions as needed, crediting them with helping him reach a state of genuine happiness.
KSI opened up about experiencing a "sort of midlife crisis" in his early twenties, which led him to re-evaluate his relationships and priorities.
Through therapy, he discovered that his struggles stemmed, in part, from the intense pressure his parents had placed upon him to succeed. This realisation allowed him to see that he had been trying to please others, including his parents, rather than himself.
His time in therapy helped him gain a deeper, more loving connection with his parents, transforming their relationship.
KSI revealed how he moves between identities to navigate different aspects of his life. He describes: "I feel like KSI is quite draining. So people see KSI whenever I'm doing music, boxing.
"My second YouTube channel is called JJ Olatunji, and it's just me just being me." He reflected: "You know, it's not like I'm going crazy all the time, but like it's a lot more real, a lot more human, where people can actually relate to it a lot more compared to how I was for example when I was fighting Tommy Fury. I was there like 'I am the nightmare, KSI, like no-one can defeat me'.
"KSI is in your face. I’m happy just with my cats, with my girlfriend, with my family."
However, he admitted that he had to learn to appreciate his work after becoming a YouTube sensation. He shared: "Before I didn't. You know, you'd get depressed, you'd get sad. You wonder 'Do I want to do this?' or 'Why am I doing this?'".
BGT 2025
He revealed that he had a difficult period in 2017, where he took a six to seven-month break from YouTube and deleted his social media content. He explained: "I was just like 'I need to just leave the internet'. I had like a midlife crisis. I was like 'Is this it? Is this my life? Am I just going to be doing this for the rest of my life?'"
At the time, he was unsure about his future and felt trapped in his role as a YouTuber. He said: "I was like 'nah, f**k this, I'm out'. I kind of just went on holiday, travelled, enjoyed myself, tried to figure out what I wanted to do."
After some reflection, he decided that he wanted the freedom to pursue various interests without being limited to just YouTube. He thought: "And I was like 'Alright, I kind of want to be a guy that is able to just do whatever I want and not be stuck in this lane of you're a YouTuber, you have to just do YouTube and that is it'."
Join the Daily Record's WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
Now, KSI continues to thrive beyond YouTube - as well as in it - with Britain's Got Talent being just one of his many ventures.