In Cracked Up we witness the impact that childhood trauma can have over a lifetime through the incredible story of award-winning actor, comedian, master impressionist and Saturday Night Live star, Darrell Hammond. Darrell is famous for his impressions of Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Sean Connery and more, but few know his true story and the suffering he endured. Darrell performed brilliantly on live TV, but behind the scenes he struggled with debilitating flashbacks, self injury, alcohol and drugs and once was taken out of SNL in a straight jacket. Darrell was misdiagnosed for 40 years with different mental illnesses and put on a long list of medications. After a suicide attempt, Darrell finally met the doctor who gave him the proper diagnosis of “childhood trauma”. Courageously transparent, Darrell takes us through his past and present day experiences with incredible resilience, vulnerability, wisdom and humor.
Cracked Up will be a rallying cry to join a movement that is transforming our communities one by one to become trauma informed. The science is clear - toxic stress in childhood changes the architecture of the developing brain creating ill-health downstream. Darrell’s courageous story of hope will not only move, entertain and inspire, it will break down barriers of stigma and move us all closer to better prevention and treatment with understanding and compassion.