Lamorne Morris Struggled with ‘Wild Bout of Depression’ DuringNew Girl’s Iconic Prince Episode

Mar. 15, 2025

(left) Lamorne Morris; (right) Prince on “New Girl”.Photo:Robert Okine/Getty; FOX Image Collection via Getty

Robert Okine/Getty; FOX Image Collection via Getty

Lamorne Morrissays he was going through a depressive episode whenPrincefilmed hisfamous cameoon a 2014 episode ofNew Girl— sharing that it’s “my favorite” episode but was “the worst episode to film” because of his own struggles.“I just remember doing a scene, then going in my trailer and just crying for no reason. ‘Wow. Man, why am I so' — everything was going great. Like, everything was going great," Morris, 41, shared during an appearance on the Nov. 5 episode ofPodcrushed.Morris — who played beloved goofball Winston onNew Girl—  shared at the time that “work was going great. Everybody was healthy in my family. It was like, ‘What am I complaining about?’ ”(From left) Zooey Deschanel, Prince, Jake Johnson on “New Girl” in 2014.FOX Image Collection via Getty“I didn’t know. I couldn’t pinpoint it to anything,” he said, sharing that his then-girlfriend “helped me clean up my diet. She started cooking for me — only healthy foods, and making me juice in the morning, fresh juice and things like that.”Morris — who won theEmmy Awardfor outstanding supporting actor in a limited or anthology series forFargothis year — shared that he started going for hikes and being more active, “and before I know it, those [depressive] days are over.”“Once I cleaned up my diet, the mood shifted,” said Morris, who starred onNew Girluntil it ended its seven-year run in 2018.The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!Lamorne Morris and Jake Johnson in “New Girl.".EverettNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Morris shared that with his personal struggles behind him, he’s able to look back fondly on working withPrince, who diedjust two years after appearingonNew Girlat 57.“There was so much fanfare around it and so much mystique around him. And when you meet him, you’re like, ‘I see why. This man is illuminating. And he’s got so many tassels and zippers.’ ”“He was such a nice — that was the most impressive part. He was so nice and just soft-spoken and very, like, kind and gentle in the way he would talk to people,” Morris said. “So that was a really cool experience.“In an October episode of her podcastThe Mess Around, Morris' costar Hannah Simone said Prince wanted to get onNew Girlbecause he had a crush on her. “He tried for a very long time to find a way to be in the same room together,” Simone, 44, said in a conversation withNew Girlcostume designer Debra McGuire.New Girlis available to stream on Hulu.

Lamorne Morrissays he was going through a depressive episode whenPrincefilmed hisfamous cameoon a 2014 episode ofNew Girl— sharing that it’s “my favorite” episode but was “the worst episode to film” because of his own struggles.

“I just remember doing a scene, then going in my trailer and just crying for no reason. ‘Wow. Man, why am I so' — everything was going great. Like, everything was going great,” Morris, 41, shared during an appearance on the Nov. 5 episode ofPodcrushed.

Morris — who played beloved goofball Winston onNew Girl—  shared at the time that “work was going great. Everybody was healthy in my family. It was like, ‘What am I complaining about?’ ”

(From left) Zooey Deschanel, Prince, Jake Johnson on “New Girl” in 2014.FOX Image Collection via Getty

FOX Image Collection via Getty

“I didn’t know. I couldn’t pinpoint it to anything,” he said, sharing that his then-girlfriend “helped me clean up my diet. She started cooking for me — only healthy foods, and making me juice in the morning, fresh juice and things like that.”

Morris — who won theEmmy Awardfor outstanding supporting actor in a limited or anthology series forFargothis year — shared that he started going for hikes and being more active, “and before I know it, those [depressive] days are over.”

“Once I cleaned up my diet, the mood shifted,” said Morris, who starred onNew Girluntil it ended its seven-year run in 2018.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Lamorne Morris and Jake Johnson in “New Girl.".Everett

Everett

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Morris shared that with his personal struggles behind him, he’s able to look back fondly on working withPrince, who diedjust two years after appearingonNew Girlat 57.

“There was so much fanfare around it and so much mystique around him. And when you meet him, you’re like, ‘I see why. This man is illuminating. And he’s got so many tassels and zippers.’ ”

“He was such a nice — that was the most impressive part. He was so nice and just soft-spoken and very, like, kind and gentle in the way he would talk to people,” Morris said. “So that was a really cool experience.”

In an October episode of her podcastThe Mess Around, Morris' costar Hannah Simone said Prince wanted to get onNew Girlbecause he had a crush on her. “He tried for a very long time to find a way to be in the same room together," Simone, 44, said in a conversation withNew Girlcostume designer Debra McGuire.

New Girlis available to stream on Hulu.

source: people.com