Megan Thee Stallion Inspired by ‘Super Outspoken’ Late Mother to Open Up About Grief and Mental Health Issues in New Documentary

Megan Thee Stallion drew inspiration from her late mother to find the strength to open up in the new Prime Video documentary, “Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words.”

Directed by Nneka Onuorah, the film captures the rapper (real name Megan Pete) dealing with grief, her mother and manager Holly Thomas’ death from cancer in 2019 and mental health issues that included suicidal thoughts. The doc also includes tackles the conviction of Tory Lanez after he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting her during a roadside assault in 2020.

“I really feel like I drew a lot of strength from my mom,” Megan told me at the doc’s premiere Wednesday night at TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. “I know my mama was super outspoken and she was super tough, and I feel like once I found my mom’s voice in myself, I was like, ‘Go out there and tell them people exactly who you are.’ That’s what we’re doing today.”

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Onuorah said Megan was “hesitant at first” when they began filming two years ago. “Sometimes she didn’t show up to film,” Onuorah said. “One time, we had to hit each other up on the side like at three o’clock in the morning. She was like, ‘Hey, come to the studio.’ I met her at the studio, and I was like, ‘Look, man, I’m not I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to support you as a woman. And I know it’s tough out here, but I really want to see you flourish, and I really want to see your story told from your perspective.’ And she agreed.”

The two spent many hours alone together. Onuorah would often do double duty as director and camera operator. “Getting Megan to open up means that I had to open up,” she said. “I literally opened my soul to her. Typically, I have a crew who I direct to film the artist. But in this case, I told her, ‘I’m gonna stay with you. I’m gonna film your travels and if you’re in your home, in your car, I’ll be there.’ I would give her myself.

“I was conscious of pushing her too far,” she continued. “I always checked in with her. I kind of could sense where she was at. That’s why I was around all the time. But then where I needed to push, I pushed and said, ‘Come on, we gotta do this. I’m right here with you.’ So sometimes it was just linking up arm and arm and just saying, ‘I got your girl.’”

Presented by Amazon MGM Studios, “Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words” is a TIME Studios and Roc Nation production in association with Nneka Productions. 

IMAX partnered with Amazon Prime Video to simultaneously premiere the film Wednesday at the TCL Chinese Theatre and 10 other IMAX theaters across the U.S.

“Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words” is now available on Prime Video.

See more photos from the purple carpet premiere below.