GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Radio host Jackie Green said an emotional goodbye to the listeners of the Gray and Green Show on 105.3 FM.
Green, who co-hosts with Rachael Gray, told listeners on Thursday, Jan. 25, that this week was her last on the morning talk show as she steps away to focus on her mental health. Green will still be on air from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
After months of trying different anti-anxiety, anti-depression and sleep aid medications Green said that she still was not feeling like herself and she needed to prioritize her mental health.
“I would never face any of my problems,” she said. “Instead I was just sleeping my days away, up all night crying, and then going to work and trying to put on a happy face and then doing it all again. You can only do that so much before you crash and burn.”
When the Gray and Green show debuted in 2019 it became West Michigan’s first and only female-led talk show. Green started her broadcast career hosting nights and middays at WGRD-FM before moving to television.
Green, whose married name is Jackie Blankenship, was named Mrs. Michigan 2022. She was the first woman from Michigan to ever be crowned Mrs. America. She was also the first openly intersex winner.
Green has been open about her intersex condition called complete androgen insensitivity syndrome. She was born without a uterus or ovaries, however she had internal testes that were producing estrogen. She’s used the Mrs. America and radio platform to become an advocate for intersex youth.
During Thursday morning’s radio show she addressed that understanding her intersex condition has left her with some unresolved trauma from her youth that is contributing to her anxiety and depression as an adult.
“I’ve always been able to put that in a different part of my brain and operate without dwelling on it. But a lot of that, it feels like lately, keeps coming up on top of other things,” she said. “Then there’s always the unexplained like, I want to give a reason why I feel not like myself, but I don’t have a reason. I don’t know.”
Struggling with mental health has affected her sleep, which Green said has been especially hard with her morning show schedule. The Gray and Green show runs from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. leaving Green “sipping on 400 milligrams of caffeine” to get through it and then “be a zombie all day.”
Her co-host, Gray, was supportive on air and said their friendship and the memories from the show are unchanged by Green taking time for herself and her family.
“I love the show. I have loved working with you during this time,” Gray said. “But your mental health and the person that you are for your little girl is extremely important and it’s more important than any job.”
The Gray and Green show will continue to air in the mornings with Rob Sparks, an afternoon DJ, filling in for Green’s spot. Green will continue her afternoon timeslot as well.
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