Jason Russell, Founder of Kony 2012, To Discuss His Naked Breakdown With Oprah Winfrey [VIDEO]
Oprah Winfrey is known for securing exclusive interviews with high-profile newsmakers, and she'll continue that tradition this Sunday as she interviews Jason Russell, the creator of Kony 2012.
Russell is the co-founder of Invisible Children, the group that created a viral video about Joseph Kony, the head of a Ugandan guerrilla group. The clip amassed more than 100 million views online and became one of the most widespread viral videos of all time.
Just as the video's success had reached a fever pitch, Russell suffered what appeared to be a mental breakdown in March 2012 as he was caught on video screaming, pounding his fists on the sidewalk and masturbating on a busy street while nude.
Russell will appear on "Oprah's Next Chapter" on Oct. 7 to break his silence. As a promotional clip for the episode says, "Jason Russell has not been seen or heard from — until now."
CLICK HERE to check out a preview of Oprah Winfrey's interview with Invisible Children co-founder Jason Russell.
A description of the episode on Oprah's website promises a revealing hour: "Jason Russell, the creator of Kony 2012 - the most successful viral video of all time -discusses the intimate details of his public breakdown. For the first time ever, his wife describes the day her husband snapped."
In the preview clip, Winfrey is seen asking Russell tough questions about his public display.
"How do you end up in the street naked?" Winfrey asked. "Did you go crazy?"
Russell was hospitalized in San Diego immediately following the public incident, and his organization Invisible Children released a statement attributing his behavior to exhaustion, malnutrition and dehydration.
"The past two weeks have taken a severe emotional toll on all of us, Jason especially, and that toll manifested itself in an unfortunate incident yesterday," the statement read. "Jason's passion and his work have done so much to help so many, and we are devastated to see him dealing with this personal health issue."
Russell will appear on "Oprah's Next Chapter" on Oct. 7 on OWN.
