Chris Rooney is speaking out again. This time, he’s detailing the days and hours leading up to him being admitted into a mental health facility and ultimately diagnosed with manic episodes and bipolar disorder.
On TikTok, Rooney admitted it all began following his and his estranged wife Emily’s decision to separate. The former couple was looking to sell the home they lived in together.
@chrisrooneyy Story of how I went missing and getting diagnosed #bipolar1 #mania
♬ original sound – Christopher
While the house was being shown by a real estate agent, Rooney revealed he opted to stay at the MGM in Ann Arbor, where his manic episode began. He proceeded to blow thousands of dollars gambling, drinking, and on several shopping sprees.
After leaving the hotel, Rooney admitted to breaking several traffic laws while also throwing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from his shopping spree out the window of his car. It was at this moment, that Rooney realized his behavior was a cry for help.
Rooney added that during this time, he dumped his phone, giving his family zero ways to contact him. Which is ultimately why he was reported missing.
The social media star took himself to a patient first where he asked them to call the cops. When the cops got there, he asked if they would take him to a hospital for an evaluation.
It was during that evaluation that medical professionals admitted him into the facility and he was diagnosed.
As Mamas Uncut previously reported, you’ve likely seen Rooney’s face before. Chris Rooney is the uncle behind the popular Instagram account, The Yeet Baby.
Rooney and his niece Marleigh rose to fame after their videos began going viral on social media. Many of their most popular videos included Rooney teaching Marleigh how to “yeet,” as well as teaching her how to pour liquids into a cup as a child.
For the last several years, Rooney, Marleigh, and now his nephew Jack has been bringing smiles to millions of people’s faces. However, the joy of the page quickly turned worrisome when his family announced Rooney was missing.
On August 3, shortly after Rooney used his personal Instagram account to discuss the multiple miscarriages he and his wife endured since becoming husband and wife, Rooney was reported missing.
In an Instagram Story shared on the official “The Yeet Baby” page, his family explained, “This is not a joke. Christopher Rooney is missing. Police have been contacted.”
The Instagram further reveals that Rooney was last seen in Fredricksburg, Virginia, and asked that anyone who has seen him to “contact the police.”
However, later that same day, the Instagram pages were later updated to say that Chris had been found. Now, the Rooney family is sharing more details about what exactly happened.
Prior to being reported as missing and later found safe, Rooney had deleted all of his own Instagram posts except for one which promoted the controversial film Sound of Freedom. His page, at the time, read, “This page will be used as a dedication to the movie sound of freedom till taken down or we all raise one million dollars for the cause.”
Eighteen hours ago, Rooney seemingly shared a photo of himself on his Instagram Story along with the geotag showing him in Richmond, Virginia. He went on to share several other fundraising tags in an attempt to raise money for “Operation Underground Railroad.”
Now, in the statement his family shared, the changes to his social media appearance come after “his life the last 6 months has been nothing short of difficult. What you all witnessed leading up to his disappearance was all of his emotions coming to a head.”
As the statement continued, his family addressed his focus on the controversial film, revealing that he had just seen the movie, “and like many others, he was sick to his core over it.”
“To many of you this may have seemed odd, but he genuinely wanted and still wants to help this cause. Unfortunately, it was posted at a time that he was also visibly not in his right mind and not acting like the Chris we know and love.”
Now, after being reported missing, his family shared that Chris had made the decision to check himself into a mental health facility. And that’s all his family will say on his situation now until Chris is willing to speak more about his mental health battle himself.
Chris then shared a brief personal statement to his followers. “The amount of love and prayers I have received not just now but over the years, truly has brought me out of some very low times,” he began.
“Unfortunately, there was nothing anyone could do to help me. It is something that I have to work on and am going to make it my life’s mission to not only get myself healthy but also others. If there is one thing I have learned during this time, there are a lot of hurting people in this world and I am going to do everything I can to help them.”