This Is Us star details his mother's heartbreaking ALS battle that has left her unable to speak for eight years

Sterling K. Brown has opened up about his mom Aralean's battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The 50-year-old actor got personal on the latest episode of the This Is Us re-watch podcast, That Was Us, alongside co-hosts Chris Sullivan, Mandy Moore, and guest Lydia Stori – a caregiving advocate.

He pointed out the parallels he experienced while filming the hit series, in which his TV mom Rebecca Pearson (Moore) suffered from Alzheimer's.

Brown said he and his character Randall had a lot in common due to their similar situations.

'My mom has ALS, and there was a point in time while we were shooting the show, and I remember going into the writers' room and saying, "I don’t know which of my moms will pass away first," between my mom versus my TV mom,' he shared.

Sterling added that he and his siblings had to choose the best way to 'honor' their mother's wishes, as she lost her ability speak just months after receiving her diagnosis.

The Daily Mail has reached out to a representative for Brown for comment. 

Brown noted that his mother's 'mind is still present,' but she hasn't been able to verbally communicate since October 2018.

He explained that there are 'computer programs she could use,' using her eyes to spell out words, but his mom found it 'too exhausting.'

Instead, the star said he and his brother use a reading chart to talk to their ailing parent. 

'If it takes us a bit longer to get the information, then it takes us a little bit longer. But making sure each step of the journey, we [ask ourselves], are we honoring what she wants,' he said.

Brown has spoken candidly about his mom before, telling NPR in 2024 that she is an 'extraordinary human being.'

'I think she has far exceeded the expectations of most doctors in terms of lifespan, because she’s still with us,' he said at the time.

'But the joy that my mom is able to hold on to, in the midst of this incredibly debilitating disease, the smile that she still has for the people who walk into her sphere is radiant.'

He continued: 'It shows you, shows me, that first of all, I don’t have to allow circumstances to dictate how I am in the world, that I still have choice. I may not have choice over what the circumstances are, but [I have a choice in] how I respond to them. And my mom has been a shining example of how to maintain radiance in the midst of a very difficult situation.'

On Mother's Day in 2020, Brown took to Instagram to honor his mother.

Sharing a photo of him kissing her forehead, he wrote, 'Your name is Aralean, but you exemplify Grace. 

'Thank you for your openness. Thank you for your support. Thank you for all the good laughs. 

'Thank you for loving me so fully that no matter how the world tried to make me feel less than, the strength of your love allowed me to see myself through the eyes of God, and know that I was more than enough. Today, I celebrate you. Happy Mother’s Day, Sistah! SKB.'

After six seasons, This Is Us aired its final episode in May 2022.