Why Jonah Hill’s texts to his ex are problematic: therapist
Jonah Hill “used therapy speak to control” his ex-girlfriend, Sarah Brady, a therapist claims.
The 39-year-old actor’s former flame recently accused him of “emotional abuse,” sharing some text messages he sent her on Instagram Stories.
One alleged screenshot showed Hill informing Brady of what he considers unacceptable behaviors for a romantic partner including “posting pictures of yourself in a bathing suit,” “surfing with men” and modeling.
“If these things bring you to a place of happiness I support it and there will be no hard feelings. These are my boundaries for romantic partnership,” Hill reportedly wrote in the text message.
Brady, who is a professional surfer, dated the “Superbad” actor for one year in 2021 — and some fans are pushing back against her, saying Hill was simply expressing his limits.
But Hill “was using therapy speak to control” Brady, and his use of the word “boundaries” is a “misuse of the concept,” or so claims therapist Jeff Guenther, who goes by @TherapyJeff on TikTok.
“A boundary is a healthy limit a person sets for themselves to protect their well-being and integrity,” he explains in the video. “It is a rule or guideline that one creates to identify reasonable, safe and permissible ways for others to behave towards them, and how they’ll respond when someone passes those limits.”
However, Guenther alleges that this is not what Hill did in his messages to Brady.
“Instead, he is dictating what behaviors and friendships Sarah is permitted to have. He’s essentially instructing Sarah on who she can be friends with, what she can do professionally, and how she can show up online,” the therapist says of Hill.
Rather than attempting healthy-boundary setting, he claims these texts show the “21 Jump Street” star’s attempt at control, and it “demonstrates a lack of respect for Sarah’s autonomy and individuality.”
Guenther adds that Hill’s list of parameters is supposedly “more about restricting Sarah’s behavior to suit his comfort levels and insecurities rather than expressing his feelings or needs in a healthy manner.”
The therapist advises that a “healthier and less manipulative approach” for Hill would be to express how her actions make him feel without the use of ultimatums.
“Side note, I bet he loved how hot Sarah looked in her posts before they got together,” he adds. “So this is a bunch of bulls – – t.”
Guenther says that Hill “needs to consider Sarah’s needs and feelings and not just focus on his own, which it seems like he’s selfishly doing.”
At the end of the video, he references Hill’s 2022 Netflix documentary called “Stutz,” featuring conversations between the actor and his psychiatrist Dr. Phil Stutz.
“It’s a shame to see him weaponizing what he learned to attempt to manipulate his girlfriend,” Guenther says. “That sucks.”
While Hill has not directly addressed the text messages on social media, his streetwear brand Meaningful Existence — which he launched under an alter-ego called Prophet Ezekiel Profit — began selling an “emotional baggage tote” that reads, “Complete Unrelenting Control.”