Tom Johnson Advised LBJ, Ran CNN, and Drove Himself to Severe Depression

Depresh Mode with John Moe

Maximum Fun

Comedy, John Moe, Mental Health, Interview, Comedy Interviews, Health & Fitness

5 • 777 Ratings

🗓️ 22 December 2025

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The 84-year-old political veteran and media icon opens up about his career, mental health, and regrets.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Quick note to listeners, this episode contains brief mentions of suicide.
0:06.0	You have never met anyone like the guest we have on this week. I know I sure haven't. It's days
0:12.1	after I've interviewed him as I record this, and I still can't stop telling everyone I meet
0:17.6	about this guy. He's the oldest guest we've ever had on. He has lived an amazing
0:22.5	life. He had a front row seat to history and depression. And he has some urgent messages that he wants
0:30.2	you to listen to and heed. It's Depression Mode. I'm John Moe. I'm glad you're here.
0:50.2	If you don't know the name Tom Johnson, that's okay. It's a pretty common name.
0:56.4	The Tom Johnson that I talked to for this episode was never on screen all that much,
1:03.0	but he was a hugely historically important figure behind the scenes of cable news and newspapers and the Oval Office. Tom was present and influential for a lot of history.
1:10.2	When Martin Luther King Jr. was shot in Memphis,
1:13.3	Tom was working in the White House, and he was the one that informed President Lyndon Johnson,
1:18.4	no relation of the event. He's going to tell us about that. When the Soviet Union dissolved,
1:24.1	Tom was with Mikhail Gorbachev, and Tom's own pen played an integral role.
1:30.1	We'll get that story, too. He's got some credits on his resume. Ever heard of CNN? He was the president.
1:37.8	Heard of the Los Angeles Times? Publisher. Depression hit Tom hard, and at a time when depression was a secret, most people
1:47.3	who had it just lived with and sometimes died with. Secret, taboo, shameful even. And despite that,
1:55.7	he went and got help. Ever felt a burning need to achieve? Ever defined your sense of self by the work you did?
2:04.1	Ever sacrifice time and care for your family for the sake of your job? Ever felt strong regret
2:10.7	about that later in life? Yeah, Tom Johnson has been there as well. Tom Johnson is 84 now, and he's written a book,
2:19.2	Driven, A Life in Public Service and Journalism from LBJ to CNN.
2:24.7	It's about a life growing up without much, a watermelon truck is involved,
2:29.0	and facing a whole lot of challenges, including stress, trauma, Vietnam, journalism, and depression.
	...

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