A Resurfaced Video of Former Child Star Tylor Chase Living on the Streets Has Fans Heartbroken — & Asking Why Getting Mental Health Help Is Still So Hard
A resurfaced video of former Nickelodeon child star Tylor Chase, who played Martin Qwerly on Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide, has fans heartbroken — and asking why getting mental health help is still so hard, especially in the wake of Rob Reiner and Michelle Reiner’s deaths.
In the clip, filmed in Riverside, California and first shared on TikTok in September, a passerby asks the 36-year-old if he was on Disney Channel. Chase, who appears disheveled and holds up his jeans while he talks, answers “Nickelodeon,” says he was on Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide and gives his full name. Viewers on X and TikTok called the video “heartbreaking” and “so sad,” and some said they felt uncomfortable seeing a camera in his face.
After the clip went viral, TikToker Citlalli Wilson launched a GoFundMe to help with basics like food and clothing. The fundraiser reportedly raised just over $1,200 before Chase’s mother asked that it be shut down. In messages shared by multiple outlets, she said her son lives with bipolar disorder, struggles to keep phones or manage money, and “needs medical attention, not money,” adding that cash alone would not keep him safe or on his medication.
Chase’s former co-stars Devon Werkheiser, Lindsey Shaw and Daniel Curtis Lee also addressed the video on their Ned’s Declassified Podcast Survival Guide. Lee said his first reaction was anger toward the people filming Chase and, later, frustration that he felt “powerless” to help. Shaw, who has spoken publicly about her own past addiction, told listeners, “I’ve been somebody like that,” per New York Post. Werkheiser added that the group hopes to help Chase get onto a better path but that a podcast appearance is not what he needs right now.
For many readers, the story echoes another painful headline: ongoing coverage of Rob and Michele Reiner’s son, Nick, and his long history of mental health and addiction struggles. A former family yoga instructor recently described years of volatility and said that even with extensive resources and effort, it was “beyond any of us” to fully stabilize the situation. That kind of account is part of what makes Chase’s mother’s comments — that he needs medical care he won’t accept — so hard to read.
The system itself still has gaps. BetterHelp’s 2025 State of Stigma report found that 37% of Gen Z respondents view seeking counseling as a sign of being “mentally weak,” even as their generation reports some of the highest rates of anxiety and depression. Cost, waitlists, provider shortages and a lack of trust in therapists all show up as major barriers, especially for young adults.
There’s also the legal reality: once someone is an adult, loved ones often cannot force them into treatment unless they meet strict criteria for being an immediate danger to themselves or others. Families can raise money, call hotlines, go to appointments and still watch them refuse medication or talk their way out of inpatient care — exactly what Chase’s mother describes when she says medical support, not donations, is what her son needs, but that he rejects it.
I’ve seen a version of that up close. Earlier this year, a close friend of mine experienced what appeared to be a first manic episode that progressed into full-blown psychosis. For months, my friends and I tried to get him evaluated, but he either refused or presented a calmer “smooth” version of himself to doctors, saying the right things to avoid being held. As an adult, he could decline medication. He lost his fiancée, the full-time job he loved — and the health insurance that came with it — and eventually went off the grid. It’s devastating to watch someone bright and kind disappear behind an illness you can’t force them to treat — especially when their illness has them convinced that they don’t need treatment in the first place.
That’s the backdrop for the grief and anger showing up under Chase’s video. In replies, users repeatedly raise two themes: whether it was appropriate to record Chase “at his worst” and post the footage, and how the entertainment industry has treated former child stars and their mental health. Many also ask what kind of care is realistically available when someone is struggling, beyond a short burst of viral attention — and how to get it to those who need it most.
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