Bernie Mac remains one of comedy’s most unforgettable voices—a performer who turned blunt honesty into an art form. Rising from Chicago’s stand-up circuit, Mac broke through nationally on HBO’s Def Comedy Jam before becoming a cornerstone of The Original Kings of Comedy.
He later anchored his own hit sitcom, The Bernie Mac Show (2001–2006), and crossed over into film, appearing in the Ocean’s franchise and beyond.
Now, more than 15 years after his death, Mac’s daughter Je’Niece McCullough is offering new insight into the man behind the laughs.
While recently appearing on Dead Talks Podcast with host David Ferrugio, McCullough—Bernie Mac’s only child and vice president of the Bernie Mac Foundation—spoke openly about growing up with a father who valued toughness over emotional openness.
“My dad didn’t deal with feelings or emotions. You toughed it out,” she said, explaining how that mindset made grief harder to process when he died in 2008.
The public mourning contrasted sharply with McCullough’s private reality. She described reaching a breaking point less than a year after her father’s passing, struggling with severe depression and suicidal thoughts.
What ultimately stopped her, she explained, was the thought of the pain it would cause her mother, Rhonda. Seeking therapy changed her trajectory.
A single sentence from her therapist—“That’s grief”—gave her the language and permission she had never been afforded to name what she was going through.
McCullough also revisited the final chapter of Mac’s life. Diagnosed with sarcoidosis in 1986, Mac endured years of treatment before complications led to his hospitalization in 2008.
According to his daughter, powerful medications caused toxic reactions that kept him in critical condition. In a moment that still stays with her, Mac briefly regained consciousness while on a ventilator and mouthed the words, “I’m dead.”
McCullough initially brushed it off as his dark humor—something he’d joked about during previous illnesses—but this time felt different. Days later, Bernie Mac was gone.
For McCullough, the loss wasn’t just about a beloved comedian—it was the absence of a father who once told her, “You’re the only one I got.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or emotional distress, help is available. In the U.S., the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can be reached by calling or texting 988, providing free, confidential support 24/7. If you’re outside the U.S., local crisis lines can be found through the International Association for Suicide Prevention at findahelpline.com.