It wasn’t long ago that politician and former mayor of Tallahassee, Andrew Gillum came under fire after he was found in a Miami beach hotel room, under the influence and unresponsive. Found in the room with him were two other men; one of the men was later identified as a popular escort. Not much was said from Gillum other than his decision to enter rehab shortly after that night.
Many were perplexed and shocked to discover Gillum, who’s the husband of R. Jai Gillum and a father to three could be involved in such a scandal. R. Jai, who is the Director of Foundation Affairs at the Florida Dental Association met her husband of over a decade at Florida A&M University, where they both served in student body leadership positions.
Following the incident, disturbing photos of the hotel room were released displaying drugs scattered all over the room, empty beer bottles, stained sheets and a man inferred to be Andrew unconscious in a puddle of vomit.
Gillum made a name for himself in the world of politics starting at a young age. He served as president of the FAMU Student Government Association from 2001–2002 and was the first student member of the FAMU Board of Trustees. In addition, he was elected to the Tallahassee City Commission before he even finished college. More recently, back in 2018 Gillum was the Democratic nominee for Florida Governor. It was later in the race that Gillum dropped out, leaving current Governor, Ron Desaints to come out on top. In a public statement obtained by NBC News Gillum stated that he had fallen into a deep depression preceding his race for governor leading him to an abuse of alcohol.
“After conversations with my family and deep reflection, I have made the decision to seek help, guidance and enter a rehabilitation facility at this time. This has been a wake-up call for me. Since my race for governor ended, I fell into a depression that has led to alcohol abuse. I witnessed my father suffer from alcoholism and I know the damaging effects it can have when untreated. I also know that alcoholism is often a symptom of deeper struggles. I am committed to doing the personal work to heal fully and show up in the world as a more complete person. I now need to firmly focus on myself and my family. I will be stepping down from all public facing roles for the foreseeable future. I want to apologize to my family, friends and the people of Florida who have supported me and put their faith in me over the years. I ask that you respect my and my family’s privacy during this time. Thank you.”
Andrew addressed the public back last month since entering therapy and rehab.
Most recently, Andrew and his wife join talk show host Tamron Hall in an exclusive interview to discuss the events that occurred back in March, his experience with rehab and how the family has been coping ever since.
In a trailer announcing Tamron Hall’s return for season 2, snippets of the interview can be seen, showing a sorrowful Andrew saying, “I cried everyday.”
The interview is said to debut on September 14 to kick off Hall’s new season and many are on the edge of their seats curious to know the full story! Now all that's left to ask is this: #Gaye’s, will you be tuning in?