Michael Jann & Michele Jourdan

Michele and I are fighting the stigma of mental illness the only way that actually works: with humor.

A career in late-night comedy writing (22 years helping write Jay Leno's Tonight Show monologue) has taught me one thing above all else: Comedy breaks the ice.

Humor allows you to discuss ANY topic. And, that's important, because you can't solve a problem if you can't talk about it. And, if you can't joke about something, well, then, you're probably afraid to talk about it. That's called shame. And, shame gets in the way of everything good.

"Bug Therapy" is about a mosquito who faints at the sight of blood.

The other bugs include, Dr. Phil McGraw as a Pill Bug therapist. Meghan Trainor as Citronella. Jay Leno as the OCD Fly, who can’t stop washing his hands. Sterling K. Brown as a depressed Stick Bug, who feels like no one sees him. Tom Green as a coffee-addicted Grasshopper. He loves it, but it makes him jumpy. Michele & I play the dysfunctional, co-dependent Dragonfly Couple, she's literally on top of him. There's also a Praying Mantis who doesn't pray, because she thinks she is god. A Spider who's afraid of Spiders. And a Leafbug who suffers from anxiety - he's afraid of autumn, when all the leaves die!

The bugs in BUG THERAPY are funny. They initially fear being laughed at, but when they do actually laugh at each other -- it doesn't kill them! And, it bonds them together. And, on this point, Michele and I do not spare ourselves.

In addition to showing our film, we share our deeply personal, and liberating (formerly "embarrassing") story of our 27-year-old son Max's mental-health breakdown, psych-wards, and ongoing recovery (fingers crossed). The story is both a terrifying -- and funny. Yes. There are funny moments, and that is so freeing!