Jason Russell, co-founder of Invisible Children and creator of the viral online campaign Kony 2012, sat down with Oprah to give his first interview following his very public meltdown in March.
Admitting he was “very out of control,” Russell told Oprah he was not himself at the time. “It’s really hard to explain if people who have never had an out-of-body experience,” he said, “but it really wasn’t me … that’s not who I am.”
Russell was hospitalized in a psychiatric ward after police found him in various stages of undress, running through traffic in downtown San Diego and screaming. At the time, his family attributed the episode to “extreme exhaustion, stress, and dehydration.” In the Oprah interview, Russell denied that illegal drugs were to blame, and the husband and father dismissed rumors that he is struggling with his sexuality.
