NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: NBC News reporter Ben Collins, who previously made headlines after he was suspended for his coverage of Elon Musk acquiring X (formerly Twitter), recently took to social media to share that he was "irrevocably depressed and anxious" over the "death threats" he had been receiving for his reporting, as noted by the New York Post.
The journalist reportedly shared several posts on the micro-blogging app Bluesky that offered a glimpse of his current emotional state. Collins also revealed that he was planning on "winding down" his journalism career at the start of next year.
What did Ben Collins say about his future career path?
On September 14, Ben Collins took to Bluesky to share that he would quit his career as a reporter at the start of next year "unless things dramatically change."
"I'm leaving journalism early next year," said the NBC correspondent, adding, "What's next, I'm not sure. I don't have skills or family connections or money or anything. But I've been working on my white whale stories to cap it off, big questions that have gone unanswered."
He also mentioned, "First one comes out tomorrow," probably pointing to one of his stories.
One concerned Bluesky user asked Collins about his future, writing, "I ask because I’m a healthcare worker, also close to throwing in the towel."
"I don’t know yet," replied the journalist on Thursday, October 5, adding, "Some people want me to write a book but I would just hand in a bunch of sad poems," he added.
Another Bluesky user named Molly Knight said, "Hey Ben how are you doing with all the weirdos going nuts on you? Just checking in."
They also asked, "How do you let the death threats and other hateful s**t said toward you every day not bother you?" as per the New York Post.
Collins responded, "Oh I absolutely do, I am deeply and irrevocably depressed and anxious."
Earlier this week, the reporter gave another hint about his future career, writing, "One time I got fired and had nothing to do in New York for three weeks and it was probably the best time of my life."
In another post, Collins stated, "Honestly, realizing that all of this has an end date next year has been a lot easier. I simply don’t give a s**t anymore."
What was Ben Collins' last story for NBC News?
Ben Collins' last story for NBC News, at the time of writing, was published on Monday, October 3.
In the story titled, "What was Elon Musk's strategy for Twitter?" the journalist cited a text message believed to be from a fired Trump White House aide who allegedly advised Musk to buy X (formerly Twitter) as a "declaration of war against the Globalist American Empire."
As per the article, the messages that were allegedly sent to the Tesla CEO described a "roadmap" that he supposedly followed, including the ongoing attacks against the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
Notably, Musk and X (formerly Twitter) have continued to engage in a back-and-forth with the ADL after the civil rights group accused the micro-blogging site of not taking enough measures against antisemitic content and hate speech.
Collins' last story before filing the October 3 report on Musk was a dispatch published on May 22 about a fake image of an explosion at the Pentagon, which went viral on X (formerly Twitter).
In 2022, the journalist was taken off the air from NBC and MSNBC after he mocked Musk in a string of social media posts despite being warned by management to restrict his actions, as reported by the New York Post.
At the time, the Tesla CEO suspended several journalists and accused them of "doxxing" him by reporting on his decision to ban an account that tracked and shared the data of his private jet flights.
