Shemar Magee, a junior at DU and the author of three published books, lived the celebrity lifestyle for three days in Los Angeles with all expenses covered. Emmy award winning producer, Karleen Leveille, first reached out to Magee’s Instagram and the Clarion’s email.

Leveille read the Clarion interview in February where Magee talked about his journey of having three published books by the time he was a sophomore in college. Magee had the opportunity to be on the show, “Peace of Mind with Taraji.” This show is a Facebook original and airs every Monday. 

This exciting opportunity occurred in August and Magee has had to keep it a secret until today. The episode aired this morning on Facebook and is available here.

“[Leveille] contacted me at first through Instagram, I thought it was a scam and I did not look into it. She was showing me everything she has worked on, and I looked her up and realized it was real. I was in so much shock I could not believe it was happening. I really wanted to tell everyone that I got this opportunity,” Magee said.

Taraji, an actress most known in Hidden Figures and Empire, and her best friend Tracie are the hosts of Peace of Mind. The main premise of the show is to “bring mental health out of the shadows” by sharing stories from the Black community. The show highlights celebrities like Chance the Rapper and Megan Thee Stallion, therapists and DU student, Shemar Magee.

“Once I flew out to Los Angeles, it was a shocking experience because I have never been and honestly never thought I would be in LA. It was jaw-dropping seeing mansions and popular landmarks that you see in the movies. It felt unreal and I felt like a celebrity. I had a chauffeur, my own trailer and a crew that helped me with clothing and hair,” Magee said.

The act of sharing one’s story on TV is never easy. As nerve wracking of an experience as it is, Taraji made Magee feel welcomed and safe when he stepped on set. 

“When I got on the show, everyone was super nice and kept telling me that I got this. They made me feel really comfortable which helped me out when we started filming,” Magee said. “I felt like myself and did not feel pressured or anything.”

This was a tremendous experience that not only impacted Magee’s career, but his life as well. Magee took away many valuable life lessons on mental health in the Black community that will benefit his future career of being a therapist. 

“I learned to not give up on myself and that my story does matter. During the show, I learned that getting therapy should not be taboo and everyone should receive it. It encouraged me to seek out therapy,” Magee said. “I also learned that life gives you a lot of surprises and I am still in shock over the whole experience. I am so proud of myself for doing something big and scary but also rewarding. It is a great experience that will help a lot of people and show people that mental health should be something we talk about and destigmatize.”

As glamorous as it sounds, the process of being on TV is not easy. There were many steps that took place throughout the summer to ensure everything was prepared for Magee to fly out to California and share his story. 

“I was nervous that the producers would not like my story, and I was shocked when the producer called me and said that they loved my story and that we are doing the next steps,” Magee said.

These steps included signing permission slips, booking travel, gaining access to pictures of Magee, receiving a COVID-19 test and a 350 question psychological evaluation to ensure Magee was mentally well to appear on the show. The staff was extremely helpful in helping Magee book his airfare, as it was his first time traveling alone.

“I am happy that I can share my story for other Black men to hear. I think this experience will open up a lot of doors for my career and journey as an author, just like my book did. I was not expecting any of this, but I am glad it happened,” Magee said.

Currently, Magee is soaking it all in with the release of the new episode on “Peace of Mind with Taraji.” After the filming, Magee also started going to therapy in Denver to better his own mental health. In the future, Magee hopes to do the English distinction program at DU, so he can continue his love of writing while receiving advice from a mentor.

“My goal for coming onto the TV show was not for fame or publicity, but it was to change people’s lives and inspire them to talk about mental health and therapy,” Magee said. “There are a lot of barriers regarding getting therapy. I think that by opening up and talking about mental health we can slowly destigmatize mental health and destroy those barriers.”