Melyssa Ford has revealed how microdosing psilocybin mushrooms after the death of her mother helped her navigate the grief.
On the Wednesday (March 4) episode of Lovers by Shan, the podcaster and model reflected on the passing of her mother, Oksana Barbara Raisa Ford, who died in 2020. In an essay written for VIBE at the time, the Hot & Bothered host shared that her mother died from colon cancer.
"I've been diagnosed with major depressive disorder. And my mom's death really, really, really, really was… It changed me," Ford said around the 40-minute mark of the video below. It was like a a meteor hit my world, my earth."
Ford explained that because she had negative ideas about antidepressants, she opted out of trying them to alleviate her depressive symptoms following her mother’s death because she was "too scared," but then she was introduced to microdosing psilocybin mushrooms in 2022.
"A couple of friends talked to me about microdosing and I was a little intimidated by it but I started doing that with therapy and that really worked," Ford explained, adding that with "intense therapy" her "sense of dignity grew."
"It was when my dignity was challenged that I realized how important it was and how fiercely I need to guard it, because in dignity you find self-love," she said.
Celebrities like Keri Hilson and Jhené Aiko have also spoken about their use of the plant medicine, which has anti-anxiety properties and can lower depression for several months.
In another recent interview, Melyssa Ford shared that she felt like a pawn in the beef between Drake and Joe Budden because of her ties with both parties.
Ford, who dated Drake in the late 2000s around the time he was a rising artist, talked to Lil Rell Howery on an episode of All In about Drizzy referencing her in his 2025 "Gimme a Hug," where he calls the podcaster a "legend from the six," meaning Toronto.
On the track, Drake also raps: "Hate to see you with a dick sucker," a swipe at Budden after their years of not-so-subtle jabs.
Ford went on to say that her and the $ome $exy $ongs 4 U artist dated a "long time ago" around the time that his debut album released.
After denying that Drake tried to rekindle their relationship, Ford expressed she felt like a "little bit of a pawn” in the pair’s feud. "I’m totally fine with it," she said. "Saying 'Melyssa Ford, you're a legend from the six.' I'll take it."