Ashley Judd and Anderson Cooper Break Down Over Grief, Suicide of Loved Ones
It has been nearly two years since Naomi Judd's death.
Ashley Judd and Anderson Cooper shared a moment of grief together recently as the two discussed grief and trauma. The actress sat down with the CNN anchor for his All There Is podcast, and opened up about her mother Naomi's death two years ago. Cooper, meanwhile, spoke about his brother Carter's death by suicide in 1988. The conversation led to the pair sharing an emotional moment as they discussed the heavy topic.
Judd, 55, said it was both "traumatic and unexpected because it was death by suicide and I found her." Despite the obvious trauma, Judd said she was "so glad" she was there."Even when I walked in that room and I saw that she had harmed herself, the first thing out of my mouth was, 'Momma, I see how much you've been suffering and it is okay... I am here, and it is okay to let go.'" She said she told her mom to go and see her loved ones who had previously died. "All was forgiven long ago, leave it all here," she said she told her. "Take nothing, be free."
Cooper, 56, teared up as he spoke about his brother. "I'm here, Anderson," Judd said as she comforted him. Cooper said, "One of the things I have found so hard about losing my brother to suicide was, I get stuck in how his life ended and the violence of it."
Elsewhere during the conversation, Judd spoke about her experiences with loss, starting as far back as her childhood. "I've had several journeys with grief and each has been distinct, unique and also universal," she shared. "So my grief journey started as a child because I played the role of the lost child in my family system growing up. And so when I came into recovery in 2006, what they said is that I had unresolved childhood grief, that child grief is such a deep, hollow ache."
"When I started to cry, it felt like it was those bottomless tears to which there was no end," she continued. "And I wondered if I could die from crying. But I realized it's the not crying that will kill me. It's the not crying that will kill me." She added, "I still find it very hard to allow myself to cry, but I feel like there is a well of tears even now, as I'm speaking to you just beneath the surface, that could very easily explode." She later said, "It comes in these waves and it has so many different characteristics. You know, one of the things that I want to offer is that I have learned how to hold my own hand and my crying, and there is a place where trauma and grief and transcendence meet, and I call it the braid."
Naomi Judd performed in a country music duo with her eldest daughter, Wynonna, for many years, and is one of the most legendary country singers of all time. Sadly, the beloved icon died by suicide on April 30, 2022. She had long struggled with depression accompanied by anxiety, panic attacks, and suicidal thoughts
Discussing how she remembers her late mother, Ashley recalled, "When I would go to their house, I always went around the side of the house to the back porch, and I never had on shoes. And the side of the house and the backer walls, um, floor to ceiling glass. And she would be on her sofa where she stayed because of the depression. But when she saw me, she would get up. Invariably, she got up no matter how sick she was. And she would light up. And she would come to the back door and open it, and she would exclaim, there's my darling, there's my girl, there's my baby!" She added, "And that's how I see my mom."
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The previous Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available.
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