HGTV’s David Bromstad Checked Himself Into Treatment ‘Program’ amid Filming: ‘I Was Screaming Out for Help’

David Bromstad is opening up about reaching a breaking point — and choosing to get help.

The HGTV star shared that he sought treatment while filming My Lottery Dream Home: David’s Happy Ending after a major setback with his Florida dream home sent him spiraling.

In an exclusive clip shared from the episode, Bromstad, 52, spoke about “using substances” as he described how he coped after a storm severely damaged the home mid-renovation. “I got into some unhealthy behaviors and it’s really easy to go there when you’re under distress,” he said. “I knew I was in trouble.”

Later in the special, which premiered on Friday, Dec. 19, Bromstad explained how closely his emotional state had become tied to the renovation. “I think with the house, with where I’m at emotionally, physically, spiritually, psychologically, everything has stopped. I was literally screaming out for help,” he said.

He described the home as a fairytale-inspired project he created in part to help process difficult experiences from childhood, sharing that he was “super depressed” growing up because he was bullied.

“Back when I was a teenager, I didn’t deal with what really happened,” he explained. “I was exactly this amount of gay, this amount of perfect, but that was not celebrated, that was looked [at] in a different way back then.”

“I was super depressed. I was super bullied. And so for me to idealize my childhood was a complete defense mechanism that was beautiful; it saved me,” he continued.

But when the renovation went wrong, he said it felt deeply personal. “Now my childhood fantasy, my house, is broken, like me,” Bromstad said. Heavy rain and flooding caused extensive damage and a serious mold problem, forcing the project to be gutted down to the studs — essentially restarting from scratch.

Recognizing how serious things had become, Bromstad said he made a decision to pause everything and focus on his health. “I decided it’s time. I need to put my house on hold and I need to check myself into some sort of program,” he shared.

“I need to talk. I need to climb out of this hole. I need to understand why I climbed into it in the first place,” he added.

After getting help, Bromstad traveled to Norway to mark his 50th birthday in August 2023. He reflected on the “most unique year” of his life in an Instagram post and wrote about learning self-acceptance.

“I could not be more grateful for every aspect of my existence. Learning to love myself, warts and all, has been the hardest and most beautiful process.”

He also said the trip helped him connect with his roots, noting he was able to “see how my ancestors lived and the air they breathed.”

“Being here has answered so many questions about why I love the things I do. It was a perfect day hiking, kayaking and communing with nature and all her glory. Thank u for allowing me another trip around the sun.”

Bromstad later referenced sobriety in another social media update about the trip. “Feels good to be present, sober and living the life I was intended to live,” he wrote while sharing that he climbed the 2,000 steps of Reinebringen.

My Lottery Dream Home: David’s Happy Ending premiered on Friday, Dec. 19 at 9 p.m. ET.