Evan Dando’s wife explains his “meltdown” as NPR Tiny Desk set is pulled

The wife of The Lemonheads’ Evan Dando has spoken publicly about the singer’s recent “meltdown”, saying he was “out of his mind” while recording a Tiny Desk performance that has since been scrapped. The artist is currently undergoing psychiatric care in hospital after allegations surfaced that he sent an explicit video to a fan without her consent. His wife, Antonia Teixeira, has now shared details about the chain of events that led to his hospital admission. She said the problems began earlier this year when the couple travelled to the United States to tape an instalment of NPR’s Tiny Desk. According to Teixeira, that session will never see the light of day because of Dando’s condition during filming. In an interview with Billboard on the same day he was admitted for treatment on Friday February 13, she said he had battled excessive alcohol use and misuse of prescription medication throughout their five years together. Teixeira said his latest mental health decline began weeks before he sought help. The pair had flown to New York City from their home in São Paulo so that The Lemonheads could perform on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on January 20. After that television appearance, the group travelled to Washington, D.C. to record their Tiny Desk set. Teixeira said she grew increasingly alarmed as his conduct became more unstable during the trip. “That day, he was totally out of his mind,” she said. “So out of his mind, that the Tiny Desk won’t be aired.” She explained that his erratic behaviour continued after they returned to Brazil. Recalling a recent incident, she said “everything went to hell” when she claims Dando consumed significant amounts of Adderall, THC and mushrooms at once and began sending explicit videos to several women on X formerly known as Twitter. It was after discovering those videos that she brought him to the treatment centre where he is now staying. Teixeira also told him that she would pursue a divorce if he failed to complete the programme, which she expects will last at least 30 days. “You can’t imagine how mad I was when I saw that he was sending messages to girls,” Teixeira said. “I’m very mad, because he betrayed me.” She added that she believes the video sent to the woman may have been shared unintentionally. “From what I’m looking at now, it wasn’t … he doesn’t remember what he did. He was in a mental meltdown.” Teixeira said Dando felt “very embarrassed” once he understood what had happened. She described the relapse as an act of “self-sabotage”, especially given that he had just completed a new album and was preparing for a summer tour that has since been called off. Speaking about his recovery, she said: “If he’s really, really committed, he can do it.” She continued: “I feel like this is a second phase of his healing, you know? It’s him actually taking into his own hands, his responsibilities, the consequences, and not blaming other people and just trying to be better because he wants to be better himself … I’m very hopeful that things will get better.” In 2025, The Lemonheads put out their first album of original material in 19 years, titled ‘Love Chant’. Dando also released a memoir, Rumours of My Demise, in which he wrote candidly about his long struggle with addiction. The woman accusing Dando of sending the unsolicited explicit video has been identified only as Dawn in reporting by journalist Tony Ortega on his Substack, The Underground Bunker. She said she had messaged the frontman privately on social media to congratulate him on The Lemonheads’ latest release. Dando allegedly responded, “Cool I’m sorry I’m an exhibitionist”, before sending her a video of himself masturbating the following day without her permission. “It’s him sitting in a basement or something, and he’s fully masturbating,” Dawn said in her account to Ortega. “You can see his penis, and his face. It’s definitely him. He’s filming it from a weird angle.” She added: “It’s so gross. I don’t want him to do this to anyone else. It’s just a gross feeling.” In a statement shared with Rolling Stone, Dando’s representative said: “Evan Dando has long struggled with mental health issues dating back to his childhood. He’s been admitted to a local hospital where he’s receiving comprehensive help from experienced doctors and mental health professionals.” In one section of Rumours Of My Demise, Dando reflected on that period of his life, writing: “Most of my real friends retreated, hoping things would change. The rest got a kick out of watching me unravel. I was in horrible shape, losing teeth, and living off cheeseburgers … and a $200 daily drug habit.”