Pop Culture
Keri Hilson Explains How Grief After Her Father’s Death Sent Her Down a ‘Destructive’ Path
The “Knock You Down” singer’s father, Skip, died unexpectedly in 2020 at age 71
ByAlex Ocho
July 7, 2026
Keri Hilson is opening up about the destructive path she found herself on after the death of her father during the COVID-19 pandemic
During an appearance on the Keep It Positive, Sweetie podcast with Crystal Renee Hayslett, the Grammy-nominated singer reflected on how overwhelming grief shaped her life during her hiatus from the music industry and led to unhealthy coping habits
Near the 48-minute mark in the video linked below, the “Knock You Down” singer admitted that losing her father sent her into a difficult period marked by heavy drinking, partying, and emotional eating
“I had some destructive things too like during COVID when I did lose my dad, I picked up drinking and was just doing some destructive things in that phase and partying a lot,” said the 43-year-old, before correcting herself and saying her partying phase actually began around 2016
Looking back, Hilson said she eventually realized just how serious her drinking had become
“I drank COVID away. I would wake up, pour a drink, [and] I was like ‘Oh, I think this is alcoholism. Let me pull this back. This is alcoholism,’” she recalled. “I gained all that weight. I had eaten things I hadn’t eaten since I was a kid.”
Elsewhere in the podcast, Hilson also described moments when she caught herself needlessly cooking in the middle of the night
“Like, ‘You are not hungry. It’s five o’clock in the morning. Why am I cooking?'” she said
Recognizing that she was headed in an unhealthy direction, Hilson made a conscious decision to seek help and focus on her recovery. She said therapy became an important part of her healing, along with spiritual retreats, journaling, meditation, and taking walks
Hilson also shared that she explored macro and micro dosing mushrooms as part of her broader wellness journey, an admission she previously made in a September 2025 interview with Angie Martinez
Hilson announced that her father, Skip, died unexpectedly at age 71 in January 2020, in a since-archived Instagram post
The singer shared on the DEAD Talks Podcast that her father had undergone a operation shortly before his death after he had experienced trouble eating for several months
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