Nick Jonas says “traumatic” live TV performance sent him to therapy

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LAS VEGAS, NV - APRIL 03: Artist/actor Nick Jonas (L) and artist Kelsea Ballerini perform at the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 3, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Image Source: Getty/Ethan Miller

Nick Jonas candidly talked about one of his most “traumatic” moments on stage during an interview on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast. On May 22, the “Jealous” singer joined his brothers, Joe Jones And Kevin Jones, to discuss their Disney Channel era, the band’s breakup in 2013, and their solo careers. While discussing his most disturbing past performances, Jonas also described an unforgettable incident at the 2016 ACM Awards that led him to seek therapy.

“It was a very traumatic moment that shaped the pressure I put on myself to always be on.”

Jonas was performing a duet of “Peter Pan” with Kelsea Ballerini when he experienced a “tragic guitar solo debacle” on live TV despite feeling extremely prepared. “I had rehearsed it a million times, felt really confident about it, didn’t even really think about it like it’s something that’s going to be problematic,” Jonas tells Shepard. “I started – it’s fine – and as I kind of walked towards [Kelsea]I was just completely blank and I hit a wrong note and basically blacked out.

Jonas says he sought the help of a therapist after the incident to process what happened. “To this day, after hours of unpacking, I can’t really pinpoint exactly what happened,” he says of the moment, adding that it had a lasting impact on his career. “I was like being rushed into a car and right after that into a plane and I looked at my manager and thought, ‘I think that was bad,'” he says. “I was in shock. It was a very traumatic moment that shaped the pressure I put on myself to always be on.”

As a lifelong performer, Jonas adds that the ACM’s performance wasn’t his first mishap on stage. As a child, Jonas played the role of Tiny Tim in a 2000 production of ‘A Christmas Carol’, his first Broadway show. “I forgot the lyrics and it was traumatizing,” he says. “I know it didn’t matter as much as it felt — and it always does.”

Jonas says another disturbing “core memory” occurred when he performed as a teenager on a tribute show for the late Cole Porter. “I’m standing there and I had prepared super hard for my performance,” he says. “I’m singing ‘Let’s Misbehave’, a classic. I know every word. I’ve got three songs here. So I’m on stage in front of Cole Porter’s family estate and I’m just empty, completely empty, and I literally start scatting. “

Jonas left the stage feeling dumb about the incident. “I spent weeks thinking about how I could have handled the situation better and looked more like a pro, but I was 17 or 18,” he says. “I was horrible. I flew straight to Austin, Texas to do something [SXSW] the next day and I was just so in my head that it would come up and they would ask me. Nobody cared.”

However, these moments led to growth, and Jonas says time and therapy have allowed him to find humor in his past misadventures, including the Kelsea Ballerini duet. “In hindsight I can laugh about how big I thought it was, but it traveled more than I’d like and it made me go into therapy,” he says.

Listen to the full ‘Armchair Expert’ episode ahead to hear more about Jonas’ solo career and how a ‘functionally toxic’ dynamic caused the Jonas Brothers to break up for five years.






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