House passes aviation mental health bill as Nathan Fielder's 'The Rehearsal' draws attention to pilot issues
The House approved a bipartisan aviation mental health measure in 2025 — legislation that a former NTSB member believes may have been nudged forward by Nathan Fielder's HBO show.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Mental Health in Aviation Act in a voice vote in 2025, moving the legislation one step closer to becoming law. The bill, which would require the FAA to revise its regulations on voluntary mental health disclosures and treatment within two years, still needs Senate approval before it can be signed.
The House measure, introduced by Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) and co-sponsored by Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN), builds on earlier efforts to address mental health in aviation. It passed the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in June 2025.
Hovering over the legislation's progress is an unlikely figure: Nathan Fielder, the comedian and registered airline pilot whose second season of HBO's 'The Rehearsal' centered on exactly the problem the bill aims to fix. Fielder spent the season arguing that pilots are currently too afraid to disclose mental health conditions — or speak up in the cockpit — for fear of losing their FAA medical certification and their jobs.
After the show aired, John texted me and said that a bill that's been stuck in the House for years about pilot mental health finally went through and was passed, and went to the Senate, and he was talking to the young staffers, and he said, 'I think the show pushed them to [do it].' I guess the young people make all the decisions. He's like, 'That's how it works.' Anyway, I don't know if it did anything, but it was nice to hear.— Nathan Fielder, comedian and registered pilot
The 'John' Fielder referenced is John Goglia, a former National Transportation Safety Board member who appeared in 'The Rehearsal.' Fielder shared Goglia's account during a Writers Guild Foundation panel, according to Deadline, which moderated the event.
Stauber's office pushed back on the idea that the show was a driving force. Kelsey Emmer, a spokesperson for Stauber, told the Duluth News Tribune that the timing was 'more of a happy coincidence than anything,' and that the real momentum came from aviation workers' stories and support from pilots' organizations and aviation industry groups.
I would say the real driving force behind it has been a combination of the stories we have heard from Americans who work in aviation and the strong support we have received from national pilots and aviation organizations.— Kelsey Emmer, spokesperson for Rep. Pete Stauber
Whatever its catalysts, the legislation addresses a documented problem. Current FAA regulations impose penalties on aviation professionals who seek mental health care, creating what Stauber called 'a dangerous culture of silence and stigma.' Casten put it plainly: 'The current system perpetuates a culture of silence, and it's past time that changes.'
Fielder's interest in the issue predates the show by years. According to Deadline, he started taking flying lessons before even pitching the concept to HBO, and traced his fixation to watching the Canadian documentary series 'Mayday,' which reenacts plane crashes.
I noticed this thing that would happen in [Mayday] a lot. They reenact plane crashes and talk about why they happened. I started to notice this thing that was always happening, where the co-pilot would know what the issue was, but would be too afraid to or intimidated to speak up to the captain or take over the controls. For like 10 years, I was just telling people this at parties.— Nathan Fielder, comedian and registered pilot
Why it matters — If the bills clear the House and are signed into law, pilots and air traffic controllers would for the first time be able to seek mental health treatment without the current risk of losing their FAA certification and their careers.
⚠ Not yet confirmed
- Nathan Fielder's 'The Rehearsal' influenced young Capitol Hill staffers to advance the pilot mental health bill.
- Senate unanimous passage on Sept. 25, 2026 and related bill names/sponsors
- Claims of two specific Senate bills and need for further House approval in 2026 form
- Reference to Senate measures building directly on the House bill in the reported timeline
- The bills still require House approval before they can become law.
- The Senate bills were sponsored by Sens. John Hoeven (R-ND) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL).
Sources differ on Whether 'The Rehearsal' helped advance the Mental Health in Aviation Act: Former NTSB member John Goglia told Fielder that young staffers said the show pushed them to act on the stalled bill (avclub.com) vs Rep. Stauber's spokesperson called the timing 'more of a happy coincidence' and credited aviation workers' stories and industry support (duluthnewstribune.com)
Reported by reuters.com, deadline.com, congress.gov, avclub.com, duluthnewstribune.com
