First lady Chirlane McCray, who is mulling a run for Brooklyn Borough President, has launched a mental health and wellness podcast in partnership with a Brooklyn-based arts nonprofit that received $1.2 million in city funds last year.
Her son, recent college graduate Dante de Blasio, was her first guest for the 30-minute show, “Thrive with Chirlane McCray.”
The mother-son duo discuss the racist bullying McCray endured as a child that led to suicidal thoughts.
The monthly podcast is a companion piece to McCray’s embattled $1 billion mental health plan, ThriveNYC. The first lady narrates advertisements for ThriveNYC during breaks in the show.
It’s not clear how much in city funds the show will use, but some critics said it was not money well spent.
“This is an obscene use of taxpayer $ for blatant political purpose,” tweeted Sal Albanese, a formal mayoral contender, in response to the news about the podcast.
City Hall did not return requests for comment on the criticism. But McCray put out a statement saying the show is meant to help people deal with mental health issues.
“In New York City, our work to end stigma has shown us just how important it is to meet people where they are and have these conversations,” McCray said in a statement announcing the podcast.
It is produced in collaboration with BRIC, a Brooklyn cultural nonprofit that enjoyed seven-figure support from city taxpayers in 2019, according to records. McCray is a Manhattan resident.
“We are thrilled to have First Lady Chirlane McCray join our active community of almost 3,000 producers for Brooklyn Free Speech. For over 40 years, BRIC has been empowering voices in our community to tackle important issues that impact them, including mental health,” said BRIC President Kristina Newman-Scott.
As part of the collaboration BRIC provides a state-of-the-art recording studio and editing suite for McCray’s podcast.