Randall Park Talks Mental Health and Deleting Social Media in New Interview
High social media usage can put a strain on your mental health, and it impacted Randall Park a few years back.
The Residence actor told People in a new interview that he decided to quit social media for good following a series of panic attacks during the COVID-19 pandemic in October 2020.
every episode of The Residence is a snark-off between Randall Park & Uzo Aduba and i’m loving it
— Netflix Is A Joke (@NetflixIsAJoke) March 27, 2025
The Residence is now playing only on Netflix pic.twitter.com/kIhb4Q7i5e
“I was on social media for a while, and then during the pandemic, it was such a scary time,” he recalled. “Also, there was an election going on during that time. There was so much chaos, and negativity in the air, but also specially online, a lot of confusion and vitriol.”
The stress of the pandemic led Park to suddenly experience panic attacks. He continued, “I had never gotten panic attacks before, but I just kept getting them one after another. It was very concerning to me.”
After receiving help following the crisis, he decided to delete social media because he felt that it was not helpful for his mental health and perspective on the world. The Watson actor initially thought stepping back from social media would only be temporary. However, he soon realized that time away was beneficial, leading him to stay off completely.
The Fresh off the Boat lead actor does miss one aspect of social media—connecting with people from different parts of his life.
“That was a really fun aspect of social media,” the 51-year-old added. “Whether seeing their lives on their feed, and being kept up to date on their lives, or just random old friends dming me. That was one of the sacrifices I had to make to get off because I really did love that aspect.”
Still, Park has no regrets about his decision to step away from the platforms because he realized they weren’t for him. Nowadays, he occasionally appears in photos posted by his wife, Jae Suh Park, and adds that staying physically fit has helped his mental health well.
This TV mini series titled THE RESIDENCE on Netflix starring Uzo Aduba as Detective Cordelia Cupp and Randall Park as Edwin Park is super divine with an amazing cast and top notch delivery.
— RealDreams (@vocal_reality) March 23, 2025
It's a 10/10. pic.twitter.com/YFEsqBcekL
Last year, after witnessing his father pass away from cancer in May 2024, along with turning 50 in March, Park reassessed his health. He trained for and ran his first marathon in New York City in November, something he claims never crossed his mind until he approached 50.
“That’s part of the reason why I decided to sign up for the marathon, to give myself a goal, and to also prove to myself that even at this age, I can do hard things,” he explained. “That was the spark for me.”
He’s been keeping up with his fitness goals since running the marathon. “It’s for my mind as much as it is for my body. It keeps me optimistic and upbeat,” he added. “It’s also been really fun. I probably wouldn’t stick to it if it wasn’t.”
Watch Park star in The Residence which streams on Netflix, and Watson, which airs Sundays on CBS at 9 p.m. ET.
