What Rickey Smiley has said about Grief

Smiley says he returned to his radio show three days after his son died as a form of therapy.

“my son died on the Sunday, Wednesday, I was back on the air because I don't want to lay in the bed thinking about that”

Mick Unplugged: How to Keep Going When Life Breaks You with Rickey Smiley (May 7, 2026) · Listen from 25:52

Smiley says his grief hit hardest about a year later, after the funeral attention faded.

“like a year later, it really hit me. The only difference between when my son died a year later, you don't have no casket, no flowers”

Mick Unplugged: How to Keep Going When Life Breaks You with Rickey Smiley (May 7, 2026) · Listen from 32:06