TikTok Star Chris Rooney Has Been Honest About His Mental Health Struggles

Following the news that TikTok star Chris Rooney had gone missing for nine days, many of his fans were relieved by the news that he had been found. Chris, who goes by the TikTok handle @theyeetbaby, was last seen at his home in Fredericksburg, Va. on July 25, 2023. The police were eventually called in, and those who knew Chris best also made impassioned pleas on social media to find him.

On Aug. 3, it was announced that Chris had been found and was home safe. So, what happened to Chris? Many of his followers want more details. Here's what we know.

In a message posted to Chris's Instagram account, we learned that “He has been found safe. He is safe. Thank you for your prayers."

Chris didn't share exactly what happened to him during those nine days, but he did share that he had a divorce and had been dealing with severe mental health issues that brought him in and out of the psychiatric hospital. "What had happened was, I had a divorce and then I had a manic episode, and then I ended up in the psych ward not one, not two, not three, but four times," he said.

Chris said that one trip to the psychiatric hospital was due to panic attacks and anxiety, and the other three were due to manic episodes. Chris now shares openly about living with bipolar disorder and hasn't lost his characteristic dry humor while talking about serious issues.

For example, in a video review of WaWa's Pizza, he said, "These last seven days have been the most depressing and anxious seven days probably of my life...so we're gonna see if WaWa Pizza cures it."

In another video, Chris encouraged others to take their medications exactly as prescribed to avoid unwanted side effects. At one point, he went off his medication cold turkey instead of slowly weaning off of it as his doctor prescribed and subsequently experienced severe anxiety. At the end of the video, Chris apologized for oversharing. Many of his fans commented on the video and that his openness about his struggles with mental health helps others dealing with similar things.

Chris emerged as a popular TikTok user after starting his account in 2020. Chris's account has more than 5 million followers, although one of the reasons it's so popular is that it frequently features his niece, Marleigh, who is the baby of the account's title.

Marleigh often says the word "yeet," which is how the name "the yeet baby" was born.

Clips of the two of them together often go viral, and typically feature Marleigh attempting to do some normal task in a way that only a child would ever consider. Marleigh's younger brothers Jack and Kai also started appearing in some of the videos once they were old enough.

As Chris's channel has become more popular, he has also become more candid about aspects of his personal life. Just prior to disappearing, Chris confirmed that he and his wife Emily had separated. Following that video, Chris posted another now-deleted video in which he pushed back on comments about his history of addiction and alcohol abuse.

In that video, Chris said that those kinds of comments push him to the edge and ultimately contribute to his negative mental state. Chris disappeared following these videos, naturally leading some fans to fear the worst. Ultimately, though, Chris returned home safely and is getting the help he needs.