Actor and comedian Amy Schumer has revealed she was diagnosed with Cushing’s syndrome after she faced harsh online criticism for her face appearing “puffier than normal” during a recent appearance on The Tonight Show.
While the hateful comments did lead her to seek medical help, she encouraged people to “be a little kinder” because it’s impossible to know for sure what a person may be going through.
Cushing’s syndrome is a rare disorder in which the body produces or is flooded with too much cortisol, a hormone associated with stress and managing blood pressure, according to the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome include mood changes and weight gain, especially in the face, the abdomen and between the shoulders.
A common cause of Cushing’s syndrome is taking steroid medications for an extended period, according to MyHealth Alberta. Steroid medications are used to treat many inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and asthma.
Schumer spoke about her diagnosis to journalist Jessica Yellen, who reports that Schumer has “exogenous Cushing syndrome, brought on by getting steroid injections in high doses.”
The actor shared that she “realized something was wrong” after she got an influx of hate comments for her face appearing puffy in an interview with Jimmy Fallon. The Tonight Show turned off the comments under the YouTube video of Schumer’s interview.
“While I was doing press on camera for my Hulu show, I was also in MRI machines four hours at a time, having my veins shut down from the amount of blood drawn and thinking I may not be around to see my son grow up,” Schumer said.
“Aside from fears about my health, I also had to be on camera having the internet chime in. But thank God for that. Because that’s how I realized something was wrong.”
“The internet is undefeated, as they say,” she joked.
Serious forms of Cushing’s syndrome can require surgery to treat, but Schumer says she has “the kind of Cushing that will just work itself out” and that’s she’s healthy.
Two days after Schumer appeared on The Tonight Show on Feb. 13, she made an Instagram post addressing the hateful comments.
“Thank you so much for everyone’s input about my face! I’ve enjoyed feedback and deliberation about my appearance as all women do for almost 20 years. And you’re right it is puffier than normal right now,” Schumer wrote. “There are some medical and hormonal things going on in my world right now but I’m okay.”
“I also believe a woman doesn’t need any excuse for her physical appearance and owes no explanation. But I wanted to take the opportunity to advocate for self love and acceptance of the skin you’re in,” she added.
In her interview with Yellen, Schumer added to that sentiment and shared that she thought the situation was “a good example of the fact that we never know what is going on with someone.”
“Everyone is struggling with something. Maybe we can all be a little kinder to each other and ourselves,” she said.