Tragic Details About Mckenna Grace's Life

Former child star Mckenna Grace has undeniably come a long way over the course of her Hollywood career. Some of Grace's earliest roles simply involved playing younger versions of the main character in flashbacks, such as in "Captain Marvel," "I, Tonya," "The Vampire Diaries," and "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina." (The casting was especially perfect on that last one, given that Grace is the spit and image of "Chilling Adventures" star Kiernan Shipka.) Over time, though, she got more substantial roles to chew on, such as a recurring part on "The Handmaid's Tale," which she was honored to accept, and, of course, a starring role in the blockbuster "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" and its eventual sequel. Not only that, but fans of "Young Sheldon" got to watch Grace's stunning transformation in real time over the course of her five-year recurring stint on the show.

However, while Grace definitely seems to be a star on the rise, she certainly hasn't been immune to personal tragedy over the course of her ongoing journey. From struggles with both her physical and mental health, to some of the unfortunate realities that come with finding fame in the age of social media, there's a lot more to Grace's story than what fans see in her movies and TV shows. With that in mind, here are some tragic details about Mckenna Grace's life.

It's hardly a secret that social media users can be ruthless, especially when comes to a new crop of actors taking the reigns on a beloved franchise. This was certainly the case in 2016, when the cast and crew of the all-female "Ghostbusters" reboot were subjected to online harassment. And unfortunately, Mckenna Grace seemed acutely aware that she would not be immune to this phenomenon when it came time for her to star in "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," the 2021 legacy sequel to the original '80s duology.

Speaking to Variety in 2021, the then-15-year-old Grace revealed that her parents had taken steps to safeguard her against such online bullying, but that the things likely being said weren't lost on her. "Being a young female in Hollywood, there's always going to be very disturbing and gross comments. ... But personally, I think it's pretty badass that there's this young girl holding a proton pack," she remarked.

Regarding those aforementioned safeguards, Grace further explained that the only social media she had on her phone at the time was TikTok, her mother moderated her posts, and public commenting was turned off. "I have comments on my TikTok limited only to my friends because I'm under the age of 16, but I might plan on keeping it that way," she said, adding, "I mean, if people are upset about it, then they're upset about it. There's not much that I can do." That being said, Grace keeping a healthy distance from social media ended up being a source of scrutiny.

Given the amount of vitriol present online, it's perfectly understandable why Mckenna Grace and her family would make a conscious decision to keep social media at arm's length — especially considering the fact that Grace was only 15 when "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" came out. However, since the modern internet culture is much super public-facing all the time, especially among younger celebrities, this approach led to a lot of baseless speculation regarding Grace's life behind the scenes. So, in the aforementioned Variety interview, the actress took the time to set the record straight.

According to the article, Grace was a bit upset to learn that some people thought she lived a sad, boring life just because she wasn't constantly keeping the internet updated regarding what she was up to at any given time. "I get so many comments being like, 'Oh my god, somebody let that girl live! Let her go outside! Teach her how to ride a bike!'" she said, adding, "You know, I just learned how to ride a bike about a year ago and I'm very proud of myself. I do normal things, I go out, but just because I don't post that I'm going out and about all the time, doesn't mean that I'm not happy." It just goes to show that, sometimes, there's simply no winning when it comes to social media.

In a November 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, then-16-year-old Mckenna Grace opened up about the severe scoliosis she had been living with since the age of 12, and her fears that the condition could have derailed her acting career altogether. "I'm a very affectionate person, so I hug my parents a lot, and whenever I would hug [my dad], he would feel my back and my spine, and he would tell me my back felt weird," Grace recalled. As it turns out, her spine had a curve of 47 degrees, which, as she told the outlet, all but demands surgery to prevent dangerous health complications down the line.

As Grace explained, she indeed got corrective surgery one month prior to the interview in October 2022 — around the exact same time her "Handmaid's Tale" character Esther Keyes also had to spend time in the hospital. "The day that episode came out ... Esther was in the hospital bed thrashing around, and I was in my hospital bed, and I could not move," she shared. And while Grace has been on the up and up since getting down to a spine with only a six-degree curve, she confessed that for the longest time, she felt compelled to keep her condition under wraps as much as she possibly could.
"While filming 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife,' ... there wasn't a lot of hiding a big old clunky, massive back brace. But for the most part, I just kept it to myself," she told THR. "I didn't want productions to overthink and think that I was a liability." Fortunately, that period of uncertainty seems to be behind her. "I feel like a new person. It's crazy," she added.

If there's one thing Mckenna Grace has taught us, it's that for as fun as fame can be, it also comes with its drawbacks — from increased scrutiny on social media to the limited amount of control you can have over your own image as a result, not to mention the fear that something else beyond your control could upend everything. With all that in mind, it's not surprising that Grace has had to contend with a great deal of insecurity in not only her career but also her personal life. The actress, who doubles as a singer, touched on this rather candidly in her 2022 single, "do all my friends hate me?"

Grace opened up about what inspired the song in a profile for The Jed Foundation, a non-profit that specializes in mental health awareness and suicide prevention among young people. "'do all my friends hate me?' is a song I wrote when I was feeling just that ... that all my friends hated me," she wrote, adding, "I was at a low point and feeling extremely sad and insecure. I had all these feelings of being annoying and really not liking myself. After I wrote it, I was a little nervous to share it because I know I am very fortunate and there are people who have anxiety way worse than I do." However, Grace was pleasantly surprised that the song managed to strike a chord with so many people. That being said, taking ownership of her own self-worth is something that requires constant effort — but it's effort she's willing to put in. "I want to keep growing as a person and to find tools to help navigate negative feelings in a healthy way," Grace shared.