Bella Poarch opens up about struggles with mental health following childhood abuse

TikTok star and musical sensation Bella Poarch visited the H3 Podcast and revealed her harrowing story of surviving childhood abuse and how it’s affected her later in life. 

Bella Poarch’s explosion in popularity has been meteoric, with her gaining millions of followers after just one year on TikTok. And in May, the 26-year-old’s viral single “Build A Bitch” became a #1 hit song that topped all the music charts.

Despite her quick rise to fame, the star revealed she had been through years of abuse. During her nearly two-hour interview on the H3 Podcast, the musician opened up about her heartbreaking childhood growing up on a farm in the Philippines.

Trigger warning: This article talks about abuse and bullying, reader discretion is advised.

Bella Poarch opens up about abusive upbringing

During the June 17 H3 podcast, host Ethan Klein asked Bella Poarch about her upbringing. The comedian was surprised when the TikTok star detailed her traumatic childhood in the Philippines. Opening up about it, she detailed her morning routine.

“It was very hard. I had to wake up at 4 am every morning. I had to finish all my chores. I would be sweeping the yard and picking up animal s**t. I would have to clean up really good because if I didn’t, my stepdad would get really mad at me and be like “you’re not eating breakfast if you don’t get this done,” she said.

Poarch also explained that she would get “slapped” if her stepfather got angry. “My nickname was stupid b**ch growing up. It’s hard because in the Philippines, whatever happened in your neighbor’s house, you had to mind your own business,” she explained. The TikTok star said that she had tried to get help, but found no adults willing to intervene.

The Build a Bitch singer gave a horrific example of showing up to school with an injured hand. “I realized no one gives a s**t. I went to school one time with a swollen hand and it was bleeding. It was really bad. And my teacher was asking me why I was so slow at writing that day. Nobody gave a s**t,” she said.

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The popular entertainer also revealed that her adopted father wouldn’t let her shower in the morning, which led to her getting bullied in school.  The 26-year-old told Klein that she still suffers from the trauma she went through as a result of her upbringing. “I have PTSD. But I don’t go around and hurt people, and take advantage,” she explained. After finding success on TikTok and with singing, Poarch said her family suddenly wanted to reconnect with her but wouldn’t acknowledge their abusive behavior.

“It’s very hard for them to accept what happened in the past. Like they can’t accept it. The way they apologized was like “I’m sorry that you feel that way.” And that made me feel so angry,” she said. Despite her harrowing journey, Bella Poarch said that it felt good to now find success in spite of what she went through.