Limmy opens up on how moving from TV to Twitch saved his life
Twitch: LimmyScottish comedian turned Twitch streamer Brian ‘Limmy’ Limond had it all. He was a king of comedy, with his Limmy’s Show being a smash hit across the globe. However, he wasn’t happy. Now, he’s given up television to focus on Twitch full-time, and he says it’s saved his life.
Limmy is a comedy cult hero. He seemingly had it all after his hit series Limmy’s Show went global. He has written books and memoirs about his career in comedy. However, behind closed doors, Brian Limond was struggling.
Limmy has been open about his struggles with anxiety and depression across his career. To try and find a new line of work he was passionate about, he turned to Twitch streaming. It made perfect sense — he could be himself, on his own schedule, without having to worry about appealing to TV executives.
Twitch: LimmyThe career swap has done wonders for him on multiple levels. He has slowly built on his cult following, with thousands tuning in every day to see his antics. The stress has been taken off, and he’s never been happier.
“I’m never stressed out thinking about f**king streaming. That’s my main thing — stress, anxiety, all that stuff, nearly f**king killed me. All the suicidal thoughts and thinking ‘I hate this.’ I don’t want that anymore,” he explained on a September 9 Twitch stream.
“I’m doing something that’s successful. It’s not like I’m cuddling into a wee ball under my bed in a cardboard box. I’m streaming, and because of your generosity, I can have a job that can pay the bills and give me money and things like that. I’m not like ‘I need to get a real job now.’”
The Limmy of old, who was constantly under the pump, is gone. He’s now able to be the family man for his wife and kids, while doing his own job at his own pace. In his words, “everything is magic,” and his entire outlook on life has changed.
“I’m scared of dying. I don’t want to die. And I used to want to die, or not care about dying. I don’t want to go out on my bike in case I get hit by a bus and I’ll lose the next 30, 40 years that’s coming to me. I didn’t feel that when I was doing the telly stuff, or the books. I’m enjoying [streaming] so f**king much.”
Limmy is giving up his TV career for good in just a few months. His final special, Limmy’s Other Stuff, will be airing shortly in the future. After that, he’s done. He’s done his sketches, he’s written his books. Now, all he wants to do is play games, entertain his Twitch stream, and live his life his way.
“I love streaming, I love playing games, I love talking a lot of sh*t — it’s magic. Those other people [in television], believe it or not, they’d feel it’d be a waste of their life. I’m not like that. This is perfect for me.”
If you or a loved one is struggling with anxiety, depression, or suicidal thoughts, there is help out there. You can reach out to one of these helplines below.
- US: 1-800-273-8255 (Suicide Prevention Helpline)
- UK: 116 123 (Samaritans)
- Australia: 13 11 14 (Lifeline)