Bold reality check: personal struggles with loneliness and mental health extend far beyond headlines and careers. Former WLWT sports reporter Brandon Saho, long associated with his Cincinnati roots, recently added a high-profile platform to his story: Oprah Winfrey’s podcast. The episode, released December 2, 2025, centers on the troubling surge of loneliness among young men, and the pressures that push them to hide vulnerability in the 21st century.
Saho, now based in Los Angeles, has spoken openly about his own mental health battles dating back to his freshman year at La Salle High School. His on-air success at WLWT contrasted with off-camera battles that included suicidal thoughts, family losses, a painful breakup, a high-stakes Bengals AFC Championship run, and struggles with addiction. These experiences occurred in a compressed timeframe, underscoring how quickly life’s highs can collide with deep lows.
In 2022, Saho left WLWT to launch a podcast, The Mental Game, which aims to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health by sharing candid conversations with notable guests like Terry Crews, Sam Hubbard, Alyson Stoner, and Jim O’Heir. The Oprah appearance marks a new chapter, with Saho sharing his story with one of the world’s most influential figures.
The moment that set the stage for Oprah’s invitation came from a widely viewed October video in which Saho spoke about fears of not achieving milestones like marriage or fatherhood. He described the anxiety of wondering whether he would ever reach what others seemed to have, and whether he was “good enough.” That clip resonated with millions, including Oprah Winfrey herself.
The anecdote continued with a phone call while Saho was in Cincinnati, dining with his mother at LaRosa’s Pizza in Blue Ash. A few days later, he traveled to New York to film with Oprah, sharing vulnerable truths in front of an audience of around 50 men. He admitted delaying dating and experiencing a fear of rejection, even as he had invested years in personal growth and had begun practicing self-love about a year and a half prior.
During the conversation with Oprah and business author Scott Galloway—who wrote the New York Times bestseller Notes on Being a Man—Saho asked a pointed question about balancing self-love with pursuing a meaningful partnership. That exchange sparked further dialogue about relationships, vulnerability, and the pressures men face to appear invincible.
Backstage, Saho spoke with Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King, describing the experience as transformative—an almost out-of-body moment that felt deeply comforting and validating.
Watching or listening:
- The Oprah Podcast episode featuring Saho sits among Oprah and Galloway’s discussions; Saho’s segment begins roughly around the 20-minute mark.
- Availability sources include Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube, where full conversations and clips can be accessed.
If this topic resonates, it might prompt viewers to reflect on their own relationships, mental health journeys, and the societal expectations placed on men to conceal vulnerability. What are your thoughts on the balance between self-care and pursuing connection? Do you believe public conversations like these move the needle on stigma, or do they raise new questions about privacy and accountability in mental health discussions?
