Carson Daly has become a vocal mental health advocate in recent years, after first opening up in 2018 about his struggles with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and the panic attacks it can cause.
On May 13, 2026, “The Voice” host reunited with NBA star Kevin Love at his other job, co-hosting NBC’s “Today,” and shared how Love inspired him to finally speak out publicly about his own condition.
Carson Daly Says Kevin Love ‘Gave Me the Courage’ to Speak Up
Love, a five-time NBA All-Star, appeared with Daly on “Today” to promote the Kevin Love Fund, a free program designed to help kids understand and overcome mental health challenges.
While introducing the Utah Jazz player, Daly told viewers, “His openness about his struggles nearly a decade ago, in an article he wrote about having a panic attack, deeply impacted me,” adding that it inspired him to share his own debilitating struggles with anxiety.
Daly later reiterated on social media how special it was to have Love on the show, writing that hearing Love’s story in 2018, about having a panic attack during an NBA game, “gave me the courage to share my mental health story.”
“It made me so relieved that someone else could manage such a terrifying condition while in the public spotlight,” Daly continued. “His courage unlocked mine & I’ll forever be grateful for that which bonds us.”
Season 27 Contestant Hayden Grove Says Carson Daly & Kevin Love Have Both Inspired Him to Share His Own Journey
With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, Love appeared on “Today” to talk about his hopes for the Kevin Love Fund, telling Daly that the organization’s goal is to “get our free, evidence-based curriculum to all kids and all students, K through 12, not only here in the States, but across the globe.”
One of the focuses of the curriculum is to help young people cultivate meaningful friendships, he said, explaining, “The research shows it’s not only a necessity to have friends, but it’s actually acting as medicine.”
“So, like yourself, being an ally in this space,” Love told Daly, “having a friend like you, an ally over the course of time, is actually healing and actually (like) medicine.”
In the comment section of Daly’s post, fans flooded him with gratitude for opening up, including one who wrote, “Carson, you are incredible. I just love the person you are. You keep being the good person you are and never forget just how good that is.”
“No one knows how it feels until you have one,” someone else wrote about panic attacks. “Anxiety is NOT the same as a panic attack and I wish more people (especially in the media) would explain the differences.”
Among those who responded was Hayden Grove, who competed on season 27 of “The Voice.” In his comment, he let Daly know that his and Love’s courage to speak up about their mental health inspired him to follow suit.
“It literally did the same for me, Carson,” he wrote. “I’m so blessed to have met both of you in such different places in my life and little do you know the amount you’ve both helped me. You’ve saved so many lives. Thank you. God bless you. ❤️🙏🏻”
