Megan Thee Stallion, known for her bold and confident persona in music, hides a deep well of trauma. In recent years, she has grappled with grief, PTSD, depression, and suicidal thoughts.
This struggle is the heart of Nneka Onuorah’s new documentary, Megan: In Her Words, premiering on Oct. 31 on Prime Video. The film follows Megan Pete, the rapper’s real name, as she navigates her career while dealing with the death of her mother and the aftermath of being shot by Tory Lanez.
Onuorah explains that her aim was to expose the vulnerability behind Megan’s public image. “This film is Megan’s open book into her heart during one of the hardest times of her life,” she says. “It highlights how grief and depression can take a toll on your life and your experiences. There’s so much grief in the world right now, which is why I feel like this story is so relatable.”
Onuorah, like many others, became a fan of Megan Thee Stallion with the release of “Savage” in 2020. The song, with its empowering lyrics and Beyoncé feature, topped the charts. “WAP,” her collaboration with Cardi B, soon followed suit.
However, behind this success, Megan was in deep grief. Her mother, Holly Thomas, a source of support and guidance, had passed away from a brain tumor. Megan confided in Onuorah that she turned to partying and work to cope: “I keep getting lit, thinking I’m going to get through this pain.”
Adding to her pain, Megan was shot in the foot by Tory Lanez in July 2020. Their relationship, which involved alcohol, turned violent, leading to Lanez firing five shots at Megan. Lanez initially admitted the shooting to Megan’s friend, but later denied it. The controversy escalated on social media and in court, with Lanez facing three felony charges. Many people took his side, accusing Megan of lying.
In early 2022, Onuorah began filming Megan for the documentary. She recognized the weight of Megan’s grief from the start. “I could tell her spirit felt a little broken,” she says. “That’s why I wanted to be there for her to create a safe space through this process.”
Many recent music documentaries involve the artist’s label. (Roc Nation, Megan’s management company, served as executive producers on the documentary, alongside TIME Studios.) Onuorah, however, sought to create a film reminiscent of Madonna: Truth or Dare, one that was “raw, honest, and not contrived or sensationalized.”
Onuorah followed Megan globally, capturing her travels in Tokyo, Switzerland, Paris, and Houston. While Megan employed film crews in several locations, Onuorah also conducted one-on-one interviews to foster intimacy. Megan revealed to Onuorah that she used her public persona as a “mask” to conceal her inner turmoil. She described her struggles with nightmares, isolation, and depression. At one point, her distress led her to call 911. “I didn’t feel like my life had value,” she says.
Megan: In Her Words avoids traditional talking-head interviews. (Notable absences include Pardison Fontaine, Megan’s romantic partner during filming, and musical collaborators like Cardi B and Glorilla.) “I don’t feel like that’s a way to really get to understand and know a person, because that’s from other peoples’ perspective,” Onuorah says. “I really want to observe and use a vérité approach.”
The film doesn’t delve into the details of the shooting incident, such as the specific dispute between Megan and Lanez or Kelsey Harris’s role. (Harris pleaded the fifth; Lanez was found guilty in August and sentenced to 10 years.) However, it does portray Megan’s raw emotions upon hearing of Lanez’s conviction.
This year, Megan achieved a No. 1 single, “HISS,” and a No. 3 album, MEGAN; she sold out Madison Square Garden and hosted the MTV VMAs. In October, she released Act II. In an on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Megan opened up about the documentary filming process and her reluctance to film. “A lot of the footage is cell phone footage, because I refused to film in front of cameras,” she said.
Onuorah expresses her admiration for Megan’s resilience in the face of adversity. “Most of us say we’re strong, but we’ve never had millions of people every day lying on us, saying negative things about us,” she says. “I commend Megan for her resilience throughout this process to still come out on top. She truly is the definition of strength to me.”