Amy Schumer has revealed that she has Cushing syndrome, a rare hormonal disorder caused by having too much cortisol in the body for an extended period of time, according to the Mayo Clinic. In an interview with Jessica Yellin for the News Not Noise newsletter, Schumer said that recent commentary about her seemingly “puffy” face helped her realize “something was wrong.”
“It has been a crazy couple weeks for me and my family,” Schumer told Yellin. “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.”
After Schumer appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote the new season of her Hulu show Life & Beth earlier this month, she was plagued with comments and questions — from concerned fans as well as cruel trolls — about the appearance of her face. Two days later, Schumer responded on Instagram, writing: “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. I have endometriosis.” She added that there were “some medical and hormonal things going on” but she was “okay.”
Schumer told News Not Noise that before being diagnosed she was “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.” She was relieved to learn that she has exogenous Cushing syndrome — spurred by getting steroid injections in high doses — rather than endogenous Cushing syndrome, which is caused by a tumor in the adrenal gland or elsewhere in the brain. “Finding out I have the kind of Cushing that will just work itself out and I’m healthy was the greatest news imaginable,” Schumer said.
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Cushing syndrome symptoms include a rounding of the face known as “moon face,” a lump at the base of the neck between the shoulders, and pink and purple stretch marks on the skin. It can lead to high blood pressure, bone loss, and type 2 diabetes. The New York Times reports that in the case of exogenous Cushing syndrome, symptoms can be reversed by reducing the use of steroids.
Schumer also offered some advice: “This is a good example of the fact that we never know what is going on with someone,” she said. “Everyone is struggling with something. Maybe we can all be a little kinder to each other and ourselves.”