David Archuleta: Permission to Make Mistakes 

Mayim does a phenomenal job interviewing someone who has beliefs different than her own. She is very respectful and I appreciate that. And David is admirably open and compassionate. Great video!

I'm part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate this interview. Mayim, thank you so much for providing a safe and understanding space for David to talk about his faith, identity and mental health. Just like the LGBTQIA+ faces a lot of negativity sometimes, so do people of faith, and not every interview about that is as uplifting and enlightening as this one. Thank you! I love it!

The statement, “The God of my understanding wants me to know myself and to not feel shame or sadness about the way that I am.” So profound for me and makes me feel more comfortable about who I am and my relationship with God. Thank you Mayim and David, both, for enlightening me and providing your perspectives.

It's heartbreaking to learn how much he has struggled.. I hope David continues to grow in acceptance of himself. You deserve to experience love David! A beautiful person inside and out. ❤️

I was surprised at how spiritual his perspective is, which says that my understanding of this religion is that it is more about restrictions and rules than love for your fellow man so, I was heartened by the response from his Elder when he "came out". When I watched him on American Idol my first response was "He is so repressed". Now my response is , "He is so thoughtful and a very deep thinker." I love his relationship with God. He makes me want to slow down my response to life in general and connect with spirit more.

This conversation is a MUST SEE for anyone with questions about their own sexuality and identity AND for anyone who calls themself a Christian or a follower of a religious faith that has strong (negative) opinions about anything outside of the heteronormative culture. That Mayim and David come from such different religious places but can converse with such maturity and grace for each other's differences is a refreshing example for society. I love Mayim's explanation of, "there is no psychological thought that exists without a physical component, and if you need drugs or alcohol to have sex then it indicates you aren't really feeling safe or comfortable."

As an LDS person, I’m SO grateful that such a public figure is exploring this in a somewhat public way. We see people who don’t get to explore all the time in this community. Thank you- and please keep doing interviews like this!

This made my day. David is such a genuine and personable man, so happy for him. Thank you Miss B!

I didn’t know anything about David, other than his magical voice, and now I have a crush on him because of how sweet and genuine he is 🥰 I loved this conversation!!

I love that David had a very innocence of explaining and sharing his struggles with his sexuality and openess as he explains.

I joined the church at 18 to marry my way into a hetero life, had 3 kids, and left at 38 when I met my wife. Being LDS doesn't make the feelings go away. I learned that the hard way. You live your true self, David! I'm so much more happy now than I was then. 12 years out and happy!! XOXO❤️

I’m LDS and I’ve loved this interview. Thank you, David for sharing your experience, and thank you Mayim for asking great questions to have this much needed conversation.

My Little Prayer is my absolute favorite song, I listen to it every day. I'm so proud of you David, keep being great.

David is so rad!! His songs “My little prayer” and “Be still my soul” have helped me feel Heavenly Father’s love through difficult trials and losses 🙏🏻. Thank you for sharing your light, David!

I really appreciate how open David was in this interview. The part of the interview that stood out for me was when David talked about how we just assume every person in the LGBTQIA+ community has an outgoing personality.

Thank God for David Archuleta

There’s something beautifully open, naive, eager, reserved about David. His smile draws you in. Enjoyed this conversation between the three of you. 🇳🇿🇳🇿🐑🐑 NZ Sept 2021

I love David and totally support his journey as he struggles with how to reconcile his attractions and identity with his faith.

What An Amazing man is David Archuleta. There is no shame in being true to yourself David. I learned this long ago. You will never be free unless you are true to yourself. God made us the way we are and if I knew I was different at age 3 then I'd say we were created this way. I am so proud of you and I know you don't care that I say that but you have been so brave and you are still loved by so many even me. Mayim I have always loved your character in the BIG BANG. I thought to myself I have known people like this in my life. Bless you, for having this channel and having David Archuleta live on your program. I love him to pieces. He has the voice of an ANGEL.

Yes! David! .. You did a great job helping me feel compassion for those different from me. Being LDS, I don’t want anyone to slander our religion but you have made me want to be better. What a testimony builder…

I saw David at The State in Modesto, CA. It took him a minute to get comfortable being on stage, but within an hour, he finally let loose and was AMAZING! I’m so happy he is embracing his uniqueness!

This is a great one. I didn’t watch American Idol either - but at the time I had just moved away from living in Salt Lake City so I was very aware of who he is. I am a lesbian, a returned missionary for the Mormon church and a former Mormon. I asked to have myself excommunicated from the church when I came out because philosophically I could not resolve the conflicts between the church doctrine and my own views. Very interesting subject / guest.

David had an AMAZING MP. My friend went to his Bishop and was sent to his Stake President. Now, my friend had never acted out as a gay man. They still excommunicated him. He is now living his best life without the judgements of the church.

He's the sweetest person in this world 😍

It'd be interesting to revisit this conversation with David today, specially after the last talk Nelson gave on the October conference 2023.

David has helped me so much since he came out. I felt/feel just as he did about my sexuality. I was never accepting of myself being gay because of what I was taught in church and because of society. Hearing him speak his truth has lit a light inside me that I never had before. I’ve still got some things to accept about myself, and I know I will in time. Thank you Mayim, and THANK YOU DAVID. Love and peace to you.

David is a great communicator.

Thank you, all three of you. This talk/interview addressed so much more than sexuality. It helps anything you are willing to look at a little deeper. It’s okay to make mistakes. ❤️

My husband is in his 50s and I am in my 40s. We met later in life. Thank you for going into this. It explains a lot It’s not just about how often we are intimate. Or just about sex. I have a low libido and he is very understanding. Thanks for helping me understanding more about relationships. It was life changing

Mayim, You my dear, should have your own network talk show. It was so nice to hear someone who can use polysyllabical words correctly and has the brain and IQ to justify and do it. You are one of the best interviewers, ever!! Please get it going my dear!!

I love this interview. Mayim is kind and insightful. David is sweet, open and honest in sharing his journey. Thank you both.

FANTASTIC INTERVIEW!! Incredibly respectful, touching and insightful!! The mortal journey is real!! Mayim’s description of how nothing physical is also connected to the spiritual and nothing spiritual is free of the physical is spot on - and all too often overlooked!! David is deep ... when you give him time to process! ❤️😉❤️

Loved every minute of your conversation! I'm a long time fan of David's and I'm glad more people are getting to see the deep, old soul he is -- along with that angelic voice! -- he's the real deal. So are you, Mayim, loved your thoughtful questions, insights and hilarious asides! (Jonathan's too!!)

Wonderful conversation. David is a wonderful person with so much wisdom and so many great insights. I always love to hear what he has to say.

Thank you 🙏🥰 all, Mayim, Jonathan, & David. This was a fantastic interview that I've been enlightened by and loved every second of it. Please take care and be in excellent health. 💚😇

So insightful. Love this interview. David seems so genuine and good. Happy to support him as a musician and a person. We are all special and unique in our own way. Thank you for such kind understanding words, wisdom, and a great interview!

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed your personality, Mayim. It's truly a pleasure to be surprised these days. I feel humbled after watching you, like I received a much needed refresher on what is most important to value in life. Not only because of what I learned that others gave to me, but also because of what resonates with me personally as truth that brings me peace, as I believe most people have ... that guidance that helps them to know how to connect with others, wether they believe our relation to others is familial in some way or just some kind of universal happenstance in the existence of creation.

I not only loved the interview, but the discussion afterwards with Jonathan and Mayim was fantastic. I love the concept of looking within and exploring things and concepts that the 'world' would have you not pay attention to which relates to Jonathan's comment about God/Intuition being a guiding force. I think David Archuletta is delightful and I wish him all success in his journey. He is so authentic, and yes, brave and courageous to come out and discuss his life so openly in the face of all possiblie opposition he might face. I was so happy that his church elders did the right thing for him as a young impressionable searching soul. That really surprised me and warmed my heart. This might be my favorite episode in recent memory. I do miss the Bevisodes though.Isn't it time for another one of those? Love you guys! V.

I am a member of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day Saints. Thank you David for being true and honest to yourself. The Lord is aware of your struggles for sure. No man is perfect. No member is perfect either. We are just like every other human being. You are so brave to speak out and I applaud you for sharing with us your personal insights and personal life on being gay. God bless.

What an awesome feeling to just be accepted...we need more of that in this world! ❤

What an excellent interview! Mayim does a fantastic job interviewing David. Thank you to David for being candid about his experience. Perhaps a book in David’s future. Thank you for posting the interview on RU-vid!

David is just a pure soul. I think this was the first time I’ve ever listened to an LGBTQ-related conversation without some underlying judgement or being uncomfortable. I’m glad to see him and I hope he keeps telling his story and being more visible in the world. We need more of him in the world.

Thank you so much for these wonderful podcasts Mayim, there are amazing and so much fun to watch!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

What an amazing, beautiful conversation. Thank you Mayim for hosting this. We need many many more. Love David.

I did not particularly like David before this interview but now I am his fan. Thank you David for being so sincere. Stay that way.

Thank you for having David share his story!❤

Thank you Mayim for being respectful, thoughtful expressing what you know about the Mormon religion. I went to a private school founded by holocaust survivors and all the jewish/israelian teachers I had were always respectful of my religious beliefs but at the same time, I learned all about the Jewish culture, language, dances and specially major holidays.

David, thank you, thank you, thank you, for being yourself and sharing your light. I needed it today. 💜

Thanks so much to David for being so open and honest and sharing his deep belief and faith! Beautiful, just beautiful!

Thank you for this episode. I enjoyed hearing David talk about being on the Ace spectrum. As someone who figured out in the past year that I’m somewhere on the spectrum, it’s comforting to hear another person’s experiences.

I feel for David. I grew up LDS, served a mission, went to BYU... the whole nine yards. Listening to him is like hearing my younger self who was buried under miles of internalized homophobia due to my religious upbringing and the subtle and not-so-subtle ways it signaled to me that being queer was abhorrent. David spends a great bit of time trying to assure people that he isn't like "THEM." He's an upstanding, appropriate, godly queer as opposed to the kind of queer that it is understandable to have distaste for. "Strong personalities," "loud," "colorful,"... these are code for "unpleasant," "distasteful," "ungodly." It is the internalized homophobia speaking and the same pattern that he has always employed--- the pattern that seeks to please the people around him, be the kind of acceptable child of God everyone expects him to be. Where did that lead him? Wanting to get out and get away from all the people expecting him to be someone. Sometimes that ends up looking like "getting out" of life itself because it seems inescapable. The LDS religion creates a lot of shame around sex and sexuality in general. Queer Mormons are bathed in shame- it's a whole other level. It's really difficult to work through and undo decades of that, especially when it was your environment during the most formative years of life. In the same way that David's mind worked to "erase" his thoughts about his sexuality, he may also unconsciously be "erasing" or denying his sexual energy as a coping strategy. I'm still working through my own shame around sex- and it impacts romantic relationships, which negatively impacts my life. Also, blocks in sexual energy don't just cause issues "in the bedroom." That is a very powerful energy that can be harnessed in all areas of life. A block will effect work life, artistic life, every endeavor of life. It's a journey. Finally, the LDS Church *does not* have the same expectations for gay people as it does for heterosexual people. It promotes dating and marriage for heterosexuals. It forbids it for gay people. Neither are supposed to have sex until marriage, but only one has a pathway to marriage to the one they love. It's painful to watch someone walk the same path I did, but damn-- it's a really difficult one to walk. Any step is worth celebrating. I wish him love and joy and beauty and freedom.

This is eye opening. Thank you. I am someone who doesn't understand these terms much but this helps understand those who feel different. We should all accept others for who they are regardless of gender, sex, race, religion or political views.

Oh my word. I love his testimony! Love that dream! Thanks for sharing

I love being educated. Thank you for this open and honest heart in the form of David A. Wow. He blew me away. I got hit in the gut with this episode. I appreciate how Jonathan and yourself got to the heart of what this discussion was about. Self-acceptance and mental health go hand in hand. We weren't to talk about abuse when I was a young girl. I was told it didn't happen. Yes, that old story. As an adult I pushed every crisis down, every trauma down, every insult to my intelligence, every unkind word, every broken promise, every insult from family until the pandemic. Being in isolation for two years due to catching RSV, Influenza A and then COVID, what I call the perfect viral storm, stop me in my track's. My life changed dramatically on December 26, 2019. Right before COVID, I kept getting sick as a Mental Health Professional in the South Side of Chicago. Long story. My point is, these past two year's of life pause as I call it has forced me open. Open and God has shone a light into that void. Now, I try to practice what I used to preach. Prayer, meditation, mindfulness, so many freaking tears, long conversations with God and my opinion versus His (a nice way of saying, I've had some words for God.....). Only to learn that it's ok to break open, it's ok to shine the light in the dark space. It's ok to be real, whatever that real is to oneself. I'm still in my process, my pause so to speak. Thanks for this Podcast. I really appreciated it so much.

I love this. Thank you for doing this interview. I have always liked David but I like him even more now. Mayim I love your ability to interview so professionally

I just can’t believe the profound things I learn from Mayim in every episode I watch!

“My Little Prayer” is one of my favorite songs! Love you David 💖

I love this conversation. Thanks for inviting people of different backgrounds and having open conversations. This channel is so fun and helpful to listen to!

I can’t express how much I enjoyed this podcast. Thank you so much.

As a person with a personal connection with God and a deep caring for today's social and civil environment David's take on life gives me such happiness and peace. I'm glad that people are relating to a God that is so much like mine.

I truly enjoy these podcasts. Coming from the same religion as David, I am so happy his Elder was open minded enough to acknowledge what he was feeling and tell him to he wasn’t wrong. You be surprised how many leaders in the church just tell you to forget what happened, pray and move on. I believe they didn’t have the bandwidth to really understand or know how to deal with the problem presented. Great interview!

Thank you David for sharing your life experiences on difficult things and being vulnerable. Thank you thank you thank you!!!

Spectacular! So grateful for this interview and to find your podcast. You both are amazing! Finally David’s experiences are very much mirrored to what I experienced over my many years of life! This will recommended to everyone! Thank you both!!!

Thanks David for sharing your thoughts! Your integrity is hopeful and beautiful!

Love this episode ❤️ Jonathan you are a joy to listen to. I truly appreciate your perspectives and wisdom.

Thank you, Mayim for your beautiful perspective and gifted interview skills as David shared so openly and vulnerably.

I am a BI Jew of faith and I appreciate what David has to say about faith and these very difficult topics. I am a 57 year old guy and it is just amazing just how much the issue of sexual attractions cannot be ignored anymore as it was in the past. I tell all my Muslim, Jewish and Christian friends that the issue of attraction cannot be repressed any more. It just can't. Today's young people are just not willing to put up with this kind of repression any more. They just aren't. Thank you David and Mayim for this conversation. BTW., I love reading PSALMS ('Tehilim' in Hebrew) and get a lot of strength from reading them.

It was so wonderful to hear from David Archuleta. I just do not know what to say. He was so welcoming.

Great interview and Mayim showed great respect for David's religion. In show notes, he divulges to his "mission President", not Elder. Thanks for the compassion and logical understanding of David's trials! Very impressed with your show!!

This was an incredible experience! One I didn't even realize I needed. Thank you for this and all your kind, exploratory, intelligent words and opening a door for discussion into finding and loving ourselves physically mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Sorry for that sentence lol. But thank you!

Such great insightful interviewer and interviewee!!! I am LDS born & raised & I loved everything about this. Thank you, David, for sharing your journey, feelings & thoughts with us! And thank you, Mayim, for this awesome platform!!

Ugh it’s so nice to hear that someone else feels the way that I feel about sexuality and that someone is pretty much the same as me. It’s hard to explain to people that I feel attraction but not sexual attraction to both guys and girls

My whole ace soul was very happy during this whole interview. I wish all the best to David.

This young man is a beautiful being.

Mayim, I knew I would want to hear what David had to say talking to you, because you would be talking with the person not to the image created around him. David it was a good choice to collaborate with Mayim because you are both committed to being your true selves and helping others, like me, to do the same. Thanks

ALL RESPECTS TO THESE TWO BEAUTIFUL AND INTELLIGENT HUMAN BEINGS. FULL HEARTS!!!

I’m captivated by the way he honors his life as a sacred journey 🤍

Mayim I just want to say thank you for being so sweet and having such a wonderful lot of guests on your channel. You are also my favorite person due to your being so down to earth and knowledgeable. Thank you again. Blessings and Love and Happy Hanuka in 2022.

What a wonderful young man So happy that you continue to "Listen to Him" ❤❤❤

I love Jonathon's take on the mental health aspect of this; a belief in a higher power that "speaks through intuition". This is something I have long believed but never been able to put into words so concisely. Listen to your intuition; listen to that voice; question those things you are unsure about. Being open and honest with yourself about all aspects of life. I tend to come and go with therapy, but in my last bout, coming to terms with feelings that I have long tried to suppress was the most freeing revelation I've had. Definitely an episode I think I'll come back to, as I'm sure there's more for me to gain from another watch. Keep doing what you're doing guys x

Another great episode! I really enjoyed the conversation afterwards a lot as well. Great dialogue and insights. Thanks!

Thank you both for this most awesome interview! The three of you are amazing human beings❤️🙏🌷

Mayim, you look great and I'm so proud of you. I did come to the RU-vid channel to watch. Great thing that I have both options depending on my daily schedule. Love you both!! XOXO

It’s conversations like this that will open people’s hearts and minds and ultimately save lives. I am a 66 year old gay man who fight who I was for 40+ years. I am with the same amazing man (and now married to) for 23 years. David is a beautiful and gifted man whose best parts of his life have yet to come. My heart aches for those who are are dealing with the complexity of their sexuality but with all of my heart I believe life gets better when you love yourself and those around you. God bless you David and Mayim, this is my first time watching you here and I am HOOKED.

An amazing interview and topic. One of the best I’ve ever heard.

I love David's personality since many years ago. Best wishes for him.

I relate to David so much being gay and still active in the church. I know there has been a lot of changes he's had since this interview. But its nice to know that he's trying his best to take care of himself. I'm glad he explained so much about asexuality and intersexuality because that is so important to know and learn about these beautiful individuals. I hope this teaches others to be accepting and open to learning. Most of all that LGBTQIAP+ people can still be spiritual and believe in a higher power.

One of your best episodes every.

thank you Mayim for being so respectful towards the LDS faith. I really liked when you compared some of our practices with your own Jewish practices. I love to find the common ground between faiths and so it was very refreshing when you did this. I also appreciated the obvious research you made into the LDS faith because you knew quite a bit. thank you so much

These are wonderful people. I loved this whole conversation.

Beautiful episode. I appreciate bringing faith into the discussion, this was a wonderful way to do it without making it either all good or all bad. Love the bit about making mistakes. In Jewish tradition, what's called sin is all about making mistakes, trying to "hit the mark," so to speak, but missing for whatever reason; then healing from those mistakes, both internally and with others, if necessary; and moving on. PS Mayim, you look fabulous.

Wow!! What a fantastic conversation!! David thank you for sharing your experiences and journey!

That was the best intro for Jonathan! It melted my heart @mayim.

Best one yet!!!! Loved his spirit. These episodes are so helpful.

Good Morning Bialik. Thank You for touching base with us. The Gen Pub. I just started a small Archery Company this year and I am going through the painful get off the ground stage. You inspire me to carry on.

Thank you so much for this episode. All three of you have given me, at least, much to ponder and consider. I have mental health issues that I struggle with on a daily basis and will be discussing this episode and some of the interesting points discussed at the very end, especially after the interview, with my therapist today. Thanks for giving me some more to consider. Really. Thank you, you have no idea how much this episode has helped.

David you have found yourself and now your mission to bring the joy of love in Christ to the world can truly begin.

It all depends who you come out to. Some Mormon leaders are leaders, and understand the significance and difficulty of coming out. But others are ideologues, and they inflict a lot of damage on these kids that come out.

Wow! So great episode! Really intelligent and deep thought conversation, thank you very much!

I ❤❤❤ everything about this! I wish more people in the world would understand life like this.