Regina King Breaks Her Silence on Her Son Ian's Death in Candid Interview

King's son, Ian Alexander Jr., died in January 2022.

By Anna Rumer

Regina King is opening up for the first time about the death of her 26-year-old son, Ian Alexander Jr., in January 2022. The Watchmen star, 53, spoke candidly about her grief after the loss of her son in a new sit-down interview with Robin Roberts on Thursday's Good Morning America, saying she's a "different person now" than she was before his passing.

"I understand that grief is love that has no place to go," King reflected, "and that we all handle it differently." Ian was King's only child with ex-husband Ian Alexander, whom she married in 1997 and divorced a decade later, and died by suicide shortly after celebrating his 26th birthday.

"I know that it's important to me to honor Ian in the totality of who he is, speak about him in the present, because he is always with me and the joy and happiness that he gave all of us," King shared in Thursday's interview. "When it comes to depression, people expect it to look a certain way – they expect it to look heavy. To have to experience this and not be able to have the time to just sit with Ian's choice, which I respect and understand ... He didn't want to be here anymore, and that's a hard thing for other people to receive because they did not live our experience, did not live Ian's journey."

Through tears, the Oscar-winning actress revealed she was "so angry with God" initially. "Why would that weight be given to Ian? Of all of the things that we had gone through – therapy, psychiatrists, programs – and Ian was like, 'I'm tired of talking, Mom,'" she said, adding, "Sometimes, a lot of guilt comes over me. When a parent loses a child, you still wonder, 'What could I have done so that wouldn't have happened?' I know that I share this grief with everyone, but no one else is Ian's mom, you know? Only me. So it's mine. And the sadness will never go away. It will always be with me, and I think I saw somewhere, 'The sadness is a reminder of how much he means to me.'"

Shortly after Ian's death, King released a statement at the time saying her family was "devastated at the deepest level by the loss of Ian." She wrote at the time, "He is such a bright light who cared so deeply about the happiness of others. Our family asks for respectful consideration during this private time. Thank you."

The following year, King took to Instagram to celebrate what would have been her son's 27th birthday. "January 19th is Ian's Worthday. As we still process his physical absence, we celebrate his presence," she wrote. "We are all in different places on the planet... so is Ian. His spirit is the thread that connects us. Of course orange is your favorite color... It's the fire and the calm. I see you in everything I breath. My absolute favorite thing about myself is being ....Regina the mother of Ian the GodKing. Continue to shine bright, my guiding light."

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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