A TikTok star says he is out of a mental-health facility since seeking help after watching 'Sound of Freedom'

• Chris Rooney, a well known TikToker, announced he had left a mental-health facility after 17 days.
• Rooney was admitted at the beginning of August, his family announced at the time.

A well-known TikToker is out of a mental-health facility after a 17 day stay, he announced on Instagram.

Chris Rooney, better known as Uncle Chris on the Yeet Baby TikTok, thanked his followers for their support in an Instagram post on Monday.

"Thank you for your thoughts and prayers everyone, it is truly appreciated," he said. "I spent 17 days (not that I was counting) in a mental health facility."

He said his mom had picked him up, and he was "very glad I got the help I needed and love being back!"

Rooney also posted three photos of him looking relaxed in a hot tub on Tuesday night. His Instagram story showed him sporting a newly shaved head, and leaving a large tip and a selection of Christian books for workers at a hotel he had been staying at.

Rooney, a 26-year-old from Fredericksburg, Virginia, found a huge audience when he started making videos with his young niece and his nephew, Marleigh and Jack, in January 2020.

Most of the videos involved the toddlers making a big mess while attempting to pour drinks into glasses. The group charmed the internet and gained 5.7 million followers on the account known as Yeet Baby.

Rooney's family wrote on Instagram that Rooney had disappeared on July 25 and reappeared on August 3 after checking himself into a mental-health facility.

The post said Rooney had been "found safe" on August 3, and that Rooney had been struggling after watching the child-sex-trafficking movie "Sound of Freedom."

The action movie, about a Homeland Security agent who saves children from sex trafficking, was a box-office hit, bringing in $90 million in its first two weeks after opening on July 4. The movie's controversies included allegations that it fuels conspiracy theories and misrepresents the issue of sex trafficking. Its star, Jim Caviezel, is also a QAnon supporter.

The August 3 statement said Rooney had seen the movie and was "sick to his core over it," and hadn't been "himself" while posting links about raising funds for the movie.

That statement also included a message from Rooney at the end, who said he was thankful for the support.

"Unfortunately, there was nothing anyone could do to help me," he said. "It is something that I have to work on and am going to make it my life's mission to not only get myself healthy but also others."

Rooney's return to social media was a welcome one for many fans who had been worried about him since they found out he was unwell.

The Yeet Baby Instagram account also shared a message, saying Rooney and Marleigh were both going back to school.

"What are the chances that Mar and Uncle Chris go back to school the same day 22 years apart," it read.

They also thanked fans for the "support and prayers."

"It is truly appreciated," it said, promising more updates when things settled down. "One step at a time."