Earlier this month, Amy Schumer acknowledged there were "some medical and hormonal things going on in my world right now" after fans commented on her appearance—especially her "puffier" face—during a recent media tour to promote the new season of her Hulu show Life & Beth. Now, the 42-year-old comedian and actor has an update that adds clarification. CNN reports that Schumer has exogenous Cushing syndrome, a fact revealed Friday in Jessica Yellin's "News Not Noise" newsletter.
Schumer said that the uncommon condition—characterized by such symptoms as a fatty "buffalo hump" between the shoulders and a signature "moon" face from weight gain—was brought about by getting steroid shots, which resulted in too much cortisol, the body's primary stress hormone, in Schumer's body. The actor, however, tells Yellin she's feeling "reborn" about her diagnosis, as she's in generally good health and her form of Cushing syndrome "will just work itself out."
"It has been a crazy couple weeks for me and my family," Schumer noted. "Aside from fears about my health, I also had to be on camera having the internet chime in." She added that she's going public about her condition to "advocate for women's health," noting, "I want so much for women to love themselves and be relentless when fighting for their own health in a system that usually doesn't believe them." Schumer also emphasizes empathy, adding that the recent commotion around her "is 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." (More Amy Schumer stories.)