40 Celebrities Living With Chronic Medical Conditions
40 Celebrities Living With Chronic Medical Conditions
Celebrities are human, too — and just like us regular folks, some of them live with chronic illnesses that they deal with on a daily basis. From lupus and lyme disease to multiple sclerosis and diabetes, these medical conditions target anyone and everyone.
Despite experiencing these health issues, many of these celebrities are using their platforms to raise money and awareness for their illnesses. Here are 30 celebrities with chronic illnesses and other medical conditions.
George Clooney: Chronic Pain
It all started when the actor sustained a serious injury on the set of 2005's Syriana. While filming a scene in which his character was being tortured, Clooney fell off a chair and split open his head, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Turns out, the injury was even worse than that: Clooney later learned he'd torn his dura—the outer layer around his spinal cord—and fluid was leaking out. He eventually got surgery on Dec. 25, 2005, but he's battled chronic pain ever since.
Montel Williams: Multiple Sclerosis
The former talk show host experienced MS symptoms for nearly two decades before being officially diagnosed, and launched his own foundation to raise money for MS research.
Michael J. Fox: Parkinson's Disease
The actor has raised millions of dollars toward Parkinson's research through his foundation, whose mission is to end the stigma and raise awareness around the disease.
Aaron Carter: Hiatal Hernia
The singer revealed that he was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia at 19, a chronic stomach condition that affects his appetite, leaves him malnourished, and keeps him from gaining weight.
Dynamo: Crohn's Disease
The English magician opened up about how he's been battling arthritis after being hospitalized for a type of food poisoning. He also had half of his stomach removed when he was just 17 due to a complication from Crohn's disease.
Bret Michaels: Type 1 Diabetes
The rock singer has been affected by brain hemorrhages that doctors believe are a result of his diabetes.
Frankie Muniz: Mini Strokes
The actor has remained very optimistic and cheerful despite his multiple hospital visits throughout his teen years. Muniz's many concussions as a child resulted in several mini-strokes and some memory loss growing up.
Lil Wayne: Epilepsy
The rapper has been open about the many seizures he's had as a result of epilepsy. He's even had to cancel several performances because of his health.
Bono: Glaucoma
The U2 lead singer wears dark glasses due to a chronic eye condition that makes his eyes super sensitive to light.
Kareem Abdul Jabbar: Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
The 72-year-old NBA star has to take daily meds for his blood disease, but since being diagnosed in 2009, he's managed to reduce his leukemia to a microscopic level.
Selena Gomez: Lupus
Gomez has been candid about her battle with Lupus, and how she had to have a kidney transplant to save her life.
Nick Cannon: Lupus
The comedian, actor, and TV host has been open about having Lupus, and how he's tweaked his lifestyle to avoid being hospitalized from the disease's complications.
Nick Jonas: Type 1 Diabetes
The singer, who was diagnosed at 16, has been a leading voice in raising awareness for Type 1 diabetes with the charity organization Beyond Type 1.
Jack Osbourne: Multiple Sclerosis
Since being diagnosed with MS in 2012 at just 26, Osbourne has sought to raise awareness for the disease and show people you can still live a healthy, happy life.
David Beckham: Asthma
The former soccer player revealed he's had from a mild form of asthma since early childhood. He would use an inhaler many times after matches.
Anthony Anderson: Type 2 Diabetes
The Black-ish star had to make some important lifestyle changes to keep his blood sugar under control since being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2001.
Michael Phelps: ADHD
Phelps has first diagnosed with ADHD as a child, and teachers even told his parents he'd never succeed in anything due to his inability to focus and constant fidgeting. Of course, he defied the odds and became the most decorated Olympian athlete ever.
Sarah Hyland: Kidney Dysplasia
The Modern Family actress has publicly talked about her battle with this chronic kidney condition, which causes painful cysts to form in her kidneys.
Charlie Sheen: HIV
The former Two And A Half Men star went public with his HIV diagnosis in 2015. "I have a responsibility now to better myself and to help a lot of other people and hopefully with what we’re doing today others will come forward and say, 'Thanks, Charlie,'” he said on the Today show.
Alec Baldwin: Lyme Disease
Baldwin's battle with lyme disease stems from two separate tick bites a couple of years apart. The actor experiences flu-like symptoms and intense sweating.
Bella Hadid: Lyme Disease
The model also has been candid about her lyme disease. She said it was especially tough in her teens, when she was always fatigued, had a foggy brain, and couldn't get out of bed for days.
Magic Johnson: HIV
The former NBA star announced he was HIV positive back in 1991. Since then, he's worked as a sports analyst, businessman, and activist. Antiretroviral therapy has helped him lead a healthy, active life.
Pete Davidson: Crohn's Disease
The SNL cast member first opened up about his battle with Crohn's in 2016. Davidson experiences severe stomach pain due to the inflammatory bowel disorder.
Lena Dunham: Endometriosis
The Girls star had to get her cervix and uterus surgically removed due to internal bleeding and complications from endometriosis.
Seal: Discoid Lupus Erythematosus
The singer's scars are caused by a severe form of lupus that causes intense inflammation and skin lesions around the neck, face, and scalp.
Kim Kardashian-West: Psoriasis
The reality star has been very open about the autoimmune disorder that produces scaly, red patches on her skin. Her mother, Kris Jenner, also has psoriasis.
Tom Hanks: Type 2 Diabetes
The actor has said his poor diet and lifestyle choices in his youth may have contributed to his 2013 diabetes diagnosis.
Hugo Weaving: Epilepsy
The Matrix and Lord of the Rings actor was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was 13, and has been open about dealing with the seizures that have occurred throughout his life.
Selma Blair: Multiple Sclerosis
The actress was diagnosed with MS in August 2018, after seeing a doctor for what she thought was a pinched nerve.
Wendy Williams: Graves' Disease
Talk show host Wendy Williams announced to her viewers in 2018 that she was ordered by her doctor to take a three-week hiatus from her daytime show to deal with her health issues, particularly Graves disease, an autoimmune disease that identifies the thyroid as foreign.
Carrie Ann Inaba: Sjogren’s Syndrome
The former Dancing With the Stars judge and current panelist on The Talk revealed that she was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, an incurable immune disorder that can cause pain and fatigue. Just six years before that, she was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal that can cause pain and numbness
Dan Reynolds
The Imagine Dragons frontman experienced “debilitating” pain that forced him to cancel shows back in 2008. He was eventually diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic inflammatory condition of the joints that causes extreme pain.
Gina Rodriguez: Hashimoto's Disease
Rodriguez was 26 when she was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition that affects the thyroid gland and produces symptoms like fatigue, joint pain, memory issues, and weight gain.
Gabrielle Union: Adenomyosis
Adenomyosis is a chronic illness that causes endometrial tissue to grow into the uterine wall and is linked to fertility issues, something Union has been very open about.
Daisy Ridley: Endometriosis
The Star Wars actress was 15 when she was diagnosed with endometriosis, a painful condition of the uterus that can result in severe acne and infertility. Symptoms can also be exacerbated by stress.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck: Celiac Disease
The former The View co-host was diagnosed with Celiac disease, a disorder in which the body cannot properly metabolize gluten. Symptoms range from digestive problems to extreme allergic reactions.
Melanie Griffith: Epilepsy
The actress has been open about her history of experiencing grand mal seizures, including several she went through while on a yacht outside of Cannes.
Mariah Carey: Bipolar II Disorder
The Grammy award-winning singer revealed in 2018 that she was battling bipolar disorder, although she was first diagnosed in 2001. She is now in therapy, getting treatment and taking medication for bipolar II disorder, whose symptoms include periods of depression as well as hypomania.
Many have used their fame to raise awareness, too.