Communication fail. Recovered MTV VJ Jesse Camp is speaking out after being reported missing by his sister, Marisha Camp, on July 19.
The TV personality spoke to the Daily Mail about the incidents that led Marisha to believe he had gone M.I.A. “It was a bit of a misunderstanding,” he said. “Honestly, it was just some really bad communication and I had some phone problems. I had some really good friends that tweeted about it and then it sort of took on a life of its own. I was really only missing for two or three days but then it became this big internet thing.”
While the video host had plenty of jokes about where he was during the week he went “missing,” including hiding in the Himalayas as part of a publicity stunt for a friend’s upcoming event, being “abducted by aliens” and being “hit on the head with a coconut,” he avoided divulging his actual whereabouts at the time in question.
Riverside PIO told Us Weekly that Marisha reported the “See You Around” singer missing on July 19 after losing touch with his family members around July 11 or July 12.
Marisha also took to Instagram Stories with a plea for fans to assist in locating him, writing, “If anyone has seen or heard from my brother Jesse since Saturday, please, please, please reach out to me or ask him to call home!!! Thank you!!!!!”
She gave an update in a second Story uploaded on July 23. “Jesse was last seen in California last week but has not reached out to us yet. What he needs more than anything is kindness and love… Please keep him in your prayers. If you see him, please let him know that many, many people care… (He does not need to be the subject of tabloid journalism, making everything worse.)”
The message was especially concerning for those familiar with the musician’s struggles with substance abuse. As the Jesse & the 8th Street Kidz frontman told Huffington Post in 2015, he experienced what he called a “hardtime drug era” from the time he was 23 to the time he was 29, at which point he got sober. “When I was 29, I was like basically, yeah, I don’t want to have to take drugs with me anywhere to feel OK. I just want to be normal,” he said at the time.
On July 24, however, Riverside PIO Ryan Railsback told Us Weekly that the star had been located. “A Neighboring law enforcement agency noticed Jesse in a shopping center and came in contact with him. Jesse’s family was notified.”
The MTV alum, who was in California at the time of his interview, thanked his fans for their support.
“I’m really happy to be all in one piece and nothing that bad happened. Honestly, I want to say I was really moved by all the energy and love that people shared and how many people really care about me. No joking around, it really moved me and that means the world to me.” He also apologized for any undue concern: “I didn’t mean to scare everyone.”
