Three years ago Rickey Smiley lost one of his children to substance abuse. Brandon Smiley, 32, was found unresponsive at his home in Alabama and passed away in January 2023.
Following his death, People magazine obtained a copy of the autopsy report from the Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office. The coroner ruled Brandon’s death was accidental, from fentanyl and ethanol toxicity.
Family members said at the time he had battled addiction for years.
In a candid new conversation with TV One interview series Uncensored, Rickey Smiley, 57, discussed the pain of losing his son while the two were estranged, and whether he has any regrets.
“I have not lost a night of sleep over regret because I did everything I could for my son. I did the best that I could for my son, and our time away from each other was a good thing or whatever, because it had gotten toxic,” Smiley shared.
The comedian and Rickey Smiley Morning Show radio host said there were things he did not know about his son.
“The only thing I do regret, I just didn’t realize the severe [sic] of his illness. I understand it now after the fact, but [I was] protecting my peace because I have other kids that I have to protect. I could not have done anything to save him. He was sick,” Smiley said.
The media personality said he did not abandon Brandon.
“It wasn’t no abandonment, because anything he needed, Brandon would have called me any of those days, and said, ‘Dad, you know, I want to go back into rehab.’ I would have just had to go and do a couple of shows and get back on stage to make sure that that happened for him,” he said.
Brandon was the oldest of his children. Rickey wrote about the heartbreak of losing his father and a son to addiction in his memoir titled Sideshow: Living with Loss and Moving Forward with Faith.
The comedian told Uncensored he tried to help his son find his way.
“I sent Brandon off to college. I took Brandon to church. One thing Brandon did do… Brandon went and got baptized before he died,” he said.
The radio host added that he hopes his openness will help other families.
“Brandon didn’t have to die. My dad didn’t have to die,” he said. “My son was a great kid, but he made some mistakes that cost him his life and now his parents’ life has changed forever… So if Brandon’s death brought any type of awareness and saved anybody’s life, then I give God the glory for that.”
The full interview with Rickey Smiley airs Thursday, April 16, 8PM/7C on TV One’s Uncensored. You can watch a clip from the interview here.
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