Back in late 2019, Juice WRLD suffered a fatal, drug-induced seizure at a Chicago-area airport. The "Lucid Dreams" rapper was only 21 years old at the time of his passing, and he is survived by his mother, Carmella Wallace.
This past Sunday, Wallace granted her first televised interview since her son's death. Juice WRLD's mother specifically appeared on the Tamron Hall Show, where she provided insight into her son's journey through fame and addiction.
"You can't help but wonder where his career would be, where his life would be at this point," Wallace began. "In my head, I would say he wouldn't be struggling anymore with drugs; he would've conquered that and just [be] living his best life. I have that picture in my head."
After reflecting on his adolescence and SoundCloud beginnings, the subject of Juice WRLD's addiction came up.
"I did not know at that time before his music started coming out that he was struggling like that. Sometimes it would seem like something was a little off, something was different or not quite right, but I couldn't really put my hand on [the fact] that he was actually using drugs," the rapper's mother stated.
"He was doing lean, I believe, and he told me he was taking Vicodin," she added.
Wallace then said that once Juice WRLD shot to superstardom, she felt like she lost hold of her influence on him.
"I couldn't protect him [from] anything that wasn't good for him: the drugs, the lifestyle. I just felt like I didn't know enough about the industry, and I felt helpless," she recalled.
"I just felt like his best interest wasn't being looked out for. I think people had their own agendas. I think they liked the lifestyle," Wallace continued. "And they were young too, so they don't see things the way we would see them. But he just didn't have the people in place to tell him to stop. He didn't have that support system in place."
Wallace revealed that she and Juice WRLD openly discussed his addiction. She also stated that the star's friends would reach out to her with concerns over his drug use, though those closest to him didn't intervene.
"He couldn't hide it [from me] because it was in his music. But we were at a point where we could talk about [his addiction]," she began. "I told him of my fears of him overdosing and encouraged him to speak to the psychologist [I arranged for him]. But he was 19, and he knew everything. He figured he had it, and the people around him, some of them would reach out to me. But not the inner, inner circle."
Later, Wallace said that she believes Juice WRLD was mentally preparing to embark on sobriety before his fatal seizure.
"He sounded like [he was ready for rehab] … I could tell there was a difference in him and that he wasn't doing the lean," she recalled. "I think he was still doing pills, but he told me he was ready to get help. It was just a special moment. We just had that moment where I just knew he was going to overcome it."
She wrapped up her interview by sharing advice with parents of Gen Z-ers.
"Listen to your children and pay attention. Know what's popular in their culture," Wallace stated. "Have those open conversations and listen without judging. And sometimes it's hard, but they're struggling. They're crying out, and they need someone that's going to listen to them that they can trust."
