March 4, 2026, 10:59 a.m. ET
Over more than a decade of caring for her father, Yvette Nicole Brown has had to make some tough choices.
When her father, Omar, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2013, the “Drake & Josh” actress chose to take care of him herself and moved him from his home in Ohio to live with her in California. In 2014, she chose to leave her breakout role on “Community” to have more time to care for him. As his dementia worsened, she chose to be the one to help him shower and use the toilet.
“No daughter wants to do it, no dad wants it to happen. But we had a nice talk and I said, ‘Listen buddy, this is where we are, you know? And you need help, and I’m coming in there to help.’ And that’s what it is,” Brown told USA TODAY.
But perhaps the most difficult choice came in April of 2024. After Omar fell and broke his hip, things changed. “Apparently, anesthesia and dementia do not mix well,” Brown says. Her father’s moods became more unpredictable, and a few months after his hip replacement surgery he stopped walking.
Brown’s first reaction was to double down on her caregiving duties, to rise to the occasion and be what her father needed. Then her father’s social worker told her that wasn’t her only option. That she should pause and consider that while Brown might love her father best, she might not be the one who can care for him best.
“I was one of those people that had vowed that my dad would never be outside of my home,” she says. “But to keep him in my home right now would have been a detriment to him.”
Caregiving with no regrets
Like Brown, several celebrities have come forward in recent years to share their caregiving stories, including Bradley Cooper, Taylor Swift, Chris Hemsworth and Uzo Aduba.
Brown is detailing her experience as part of The Creative Coalition and AARP’s “Caring for the Family Caregiver” PSA series. She also hosts her podcast “Squeezed,” where she interviews other caregivers and provides care advice. She can help other caregivers because she’s been through what they’re going through.
As much as she wanted to be the one to care for her dad even after his fall, it became clear she wasn’t the best person for the job anymore.
“I was limiting his care,” she says, recognizing that a facility could provide not only 24/7 support but also activities with peers.
Brown found a care facility 10 minutes away from her home, so she can see her dad every day.
“It’s just a weight off of me,” she says. “The caregiving itself was not heavy, but my concern about him having a good life was heavy.”
Brown knows that a lot of people in her position feel guilt over the choices they have to make in their parents’ care. It’s why she talks about it so openly. “The whole goal of my life now is to equip people in a way that I wasn’t equipped,” she says.
All those choices? She has no second thoughts. Not about stepping back from her career or rearranging her life to care for her dad — or finally getting help from a care facility.
“If my dad was able, he would tell me to fly. He would tell me to shine,” she says through tears. “And I think he would be very sad if he realized that I had said no to things for him. But I do not regret any of it. And anything I’ve lost has not been a loss, because he’s OK.”
Madeline Mitchell’s role covering women and the caregiving economy at USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Pivotal and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.
Reach Madeline at memitchell@usatoday.com and @maddiemitch_ on X.