Prime Video has some Group Therapy for you this weekend as you try to figure out what to watch on the couch. The latest Hartbeat program brings together some wildly talented comedians to talk about their mental health journeys.  Neil Patrick Harris, Tig Notaro, Mike Birbiglia, Atsuko Okatsuka, London Hughes, Gary Gulman, and Nicole Byer all make appearances.  

That Hashtag Show got the privilege of sitting down with Hughes to talk about her journey through comedy and how her family reacts to her career. (Credit to the comedian for being so forthcoming and delightful in our interview! Rest assured, London, you are funny!) Hughes knows that a large family comes with its own set of expectations. She had to carve out her own way.

“Comedy really helped me as a person,” Hughes said. “ I started stand up at 19, I was at university.  I was being severely bullied, I was looking for validation in these girls that I lived with. They were so mean, I kept wondering why don’t they like me?”

“ I started doing stand up for fun. Not like I was going to get a career out of it. I did an open mic night. I got some strangers to laugh,” she remembered And, that laugh from them was all the validation I needed. It literally told me I didn’t need to chase validation from these girls that were mean to me. These strangers, they could see my worth. That really helped build up my confidence for the rest of my life.”

London Hughes Talks Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome is something we talk a lot about now. It nips at everyone’s heels, no matter how accomplished. Hughes thought back to her childhood and really isolated some of the internalized critique from rude classmates. But, as an adult, the published author knows that little voice on your shoulder isn’t always telling the truth.

“I don’t even know when it starts. I was like, ‘I’m not enough.’ And, then I turn into this adult who hates herself.” She argues, “I think everything comes from childhood. I got bullied a lot my whole life for my looks. Big lips? They weren’t cool. So, they’re cool now! ….Kids are mean!”

“Somewhere along the line, I thought I wasn’t attractive. It’s a lie! I don’t know why I told myself this, I am absolutely gorgeous. But, for whatever reason I was like, ‘Well, you’ve got a great personality.’ I was really really smart. I was a nerd. I was kind. I had really lovely friends. ‘Maybe I’m not the prettiest flower in the garden, but I have strong roots!’ I genuinely had to fight those demons.”

Finding Common Ground In Life

Group Therapy

Social media also drew a really insightful comment from the comedian too. “You’re not in this along. We’re all so much in our heads. Social media. Social media came along and changed the world. It’s made us very inward. We’re on our iPhones and looking at it [gestures at screen] …”

She continued, “I feel like its taking away from talking to your friends and talking to your family. Us sitting around in a circle with Neil Patrick Harris, should mean you can open up to talk to your family about anything.”

Check out even more of the latest news right here at That Hashtag Show!