Back in June 2018, Megyn was hosting her morning show at NBC when she interviewed Kevin Hines and his wife Margaret. Hines attempted suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge when he was 19 years old and, against all odds, survived the fall.
He has since dedicated his life to spreading hope, healing, and the message that life is always worth living. His motto is simple: Be here tomorrow and every day after that.
In honor of Suicide Prevention Week, Hines’ joined Megyn to tell his story and discuss his latest book The Art of Wellness. What he didn’t know is that Megyn also wanted to have him on to share an emotional story about the impact he and his wife have had on her life.
Answering the Call
Hines has a policy of giving out his phone number to people he meets so they can reach out to him if they ever need someone to talk to. After their 2018 sit-down, Megyn recalled walking Hines and his wife out of the studio and turning the tables on his ‘policy’ by offering her phone number instead.
“Listening to that story and listening to the ongoing [physical] pain you said you were in, I said, ‘Kevin, I want to give you my phone number so you can call me. I can be one of your people if you ever have these dark moments again,'” Megyn recounted. “I gave you my phone number thinking I would be there for you.”
Little did either of them know what would happen next. “Not long after that, I got fired from my show. I left NBC. I was all over every newspaper in the country being called a racist and a terrible person. My career, for which I’d worked so hard, was in tatters. I was extremely dejected and in despair,” Megyn shared. “And while I wasn’t suicidal, I was about as low as I had been as an adult in terms of my wellness and my happiness.”
One day, her phone rang. “You called me,” Megyn said to Hines. “Here I was thinking I’m this hot shot news anchor who will help Kevin if he ever goes down again. And you contacted me and said, ‘We’re thinking about you. Is there anything we can do for you? We’ve got your back. We love you. We don’t believe what we’re seeing.'”
“It was one of the kindest acts anyone has ever done for me, honestly,” Megyn shared. “I was always your fan, but, in that moment, I just thought, This small deed means more to me than any large act of kindness or gift that I’ve received in decades. And that is why you and she are at the top for me when it comes to people who have made a difference in my life.”
The ‘Gift’ of Life
While Megyn said they’ve kept in touch ever since, Hines admitted he did not know how much his call had meant. “I had no idea it had that kind of an impact,” he said. “I just saw what you were going through, I felt it was unfair, and I wanted to reach out… What they claimed you were doing and did was nonsense.”
“You are an incredibly beautiful human being. You’ve got a wonderful family, and you’re just a gem out there fighting the good fight and doing good work and sharing your messages across the globe,” he added. “We wanted you to know that we appreciate you and it.”
Hines noted that September 25 will mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of “my surviving, my living from the Golden Gate Bridge” and he “couldn’t be more grateful for every waking millisecond.”
Through his books, public speaking, work with the Bridge Rail Foundation, and upcoming documentary film project The Toll, Hines’ goal is to reduce the number of suicides globally and help people “live and stay mentally fit.”
“Here’s the bottom line,” Hines concluded. “I get to be here. I get to walk this green earth every day. Every waking moment I experience this life, the people I meet, the places I go, the things that I do is a gift that I otherwise would not have had had I died off the Golden Gate Bridge.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or visiting 988lifeline.org
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Hines by tuning in to episode 1,144 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.