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Was Sia suicidal? Singer entered rehab post ‘Music’ backlash, but fans are not buying it

Sia’s debut movie was dubbed as anti-autism, ableist and racist by social media users who say 'she harmed autistic people and faced the consequences'

Australian crooner Sia had a tough time dealing with the hatred she received for her directorial debut ‘Music’ back in November 2020, so much so that she felt suicidal. The ‘Elastic Heart’ hitmaker as a part of a profile on comedian Kathy Griffin most recently told The New York Times that she entered rehab post all the chaos ensued on the Internet over her not casting an autistic actor for the lead role.
 
Sia’s debut feature, released in February 2021, ‘Music’ featured her frequent collaborator Maddie Ziegler but the movie was dubbed as anti-autism, ableist and racist by social media users after she defended the decision of casting Maddie in her flick as she was not a neurotypical individual which the role demanded. In her latest comments, the multiple award-winning songstress revealed she relapsed after she felt suicidal. The prolific singer-songwriter was also earlier slammed for being obsessed with her goddaughter Maddie Ziegler as she always roped in her for almost all her projects.
 
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 Was Sia suicidal?

Sia, while speaking to The New York Times stated, “I was suicidal and relapsed and went to rehab.” However, the singer did not open up much about her troubles adding that Griffin saved her life. The singer had faced flak for defending Maddie’s casting saying that she had actually tried working with a beautiful young girl non-verbal on the spectrum but they could not pull it off as the girl felt stressed.
 
In a tweet to a fan that now stands deleted, Sia had said, “I actually tried working with a beautiful young girl non-verbal on the spectrum and she found it unpleasant and stressful. So that’s why I cast Maddie.” In another tweet, the Grammy nominee shared, “The character was pretty low functioning and after attempting a few actors on the spectrum they suggested I use Maddie.” She added that she “spent three f**king years researching” the project, which is why she was “so f**king bummed” by the criticism. She also mentioned, “I cast thirteen neuroatypical people, three trans folk, and not as f**king prostitutes or drug addicts but as doctors, nurses and singers,” adding, “F**king sad nobody’s even seen the dang movie. My heart has always been in the right place. “
 
Sia’s movie focuses on Music, a teenager with special needs who loves music. Her half-sister, who is a newly sober drug dealer becomes her guardian but also struggles with the new responsibility. The two along with their neighbor friend embark on a journey of dreams and life challenges in this coming-of-age drama. According to IMDb, the film explores two of Sia's favorite themes — finding your voice and what it means to create a family.

‘She harmed autistic people and faced consequences’

Social media users and followers slammed the singer for her recent remarks as they felt she was not special and even accused her of harming autistic people. One user stated, “For the record im absolutely not celebrating sia being suicidal, its terrible to be ok with her being suicidal. at the same time, as someone who’s experience suicidal ideations at a previous point in my life, im genuinely offended she'd use such a heavy subject for sympathy.” Another chimed in, “Sia’s actions and ableism literally caused me to be suicidal she’s not special.”
 
One user shared, “I protested against a flop called #Music. Then, there's @Variety saying hat @Sia was suicidal. I felt suicidal too, and I AM sorry she was. But that doesn't make her #AutismMom film any better, and I'll never be sorry for that! Also, I protested against Shirley #ActuallyAutistic.” Another mentioned, “I do not care how suicidal sia felt from the backlash that movie gave her. she harmed autistic people and faced the consequences, deservedly so.” The next one tweeted, “You deserved all the hate and I don’t even care that much about the casting of a non-autistic actor in the role but you consulted Autism Speaks and not actually autistic people.” Whereas, one fan extended her support concluding, “The movie was never intended to offend or harm anybody. the fact she was attacked into feeling suicidal really makes you feel sick. sia apologised and did everything she could to make things right and she didn't always go about it the right way, but nobody should feel this way.”