We all know that MS does not discriminate. There are countless celebrities that struggle with MS and managing their symptoms. Many of them waited years after their diagnosis to go public for various reasons. Some didn’t want people to feel sorry for them and others weren’t ready for their health to take the spotlight. Now, their celebrity status has helped to increase awareness of the disease.
Richard Pryor
Richard Pryor is an inspiration for many successful comedians, and he’s often been called the best comedian ever. Pryor was diagnosed with MS in 1986. Eventually he retired for health reasons and died at the age of 65 in 2005.
Montel Williams
Emmy-award winning talk show host, popular for his program The Montel Williams Show, Montel Williams was diagnosed with MS in 1999. He went on to create the MS Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to education and research of multiple sclerosis, and he often features others living with MS on his show.
Teri Garr
Teri Garr was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the 1982 movie, Tootsie. She publicly announced she was diagnosed with MS in 2002. Since then, she has been active in the MS community and was given the Ambassador of the Year Award by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Jack Osbourne
Son of Ozzy Osbourne, Jack started his career on the MTV reality show The Osbournes and then went on to star in other reality shows of his own. He was diagnosed with MS in June 2012 and has been very open and honest about his experiences and symptoms since then.
Ann Romney
Wife of 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney, Ann played a huge role in his campaign. She was diagnosed with MS in 1998 and has advocated for a number of alternative MS therapies like acupuncture and reflexology as well as the use of adult stem cells for MS research.
Clay Walker
The popular country singer Clay Walker was diagnosed with MS in 1996. At the time, his popularity was increasing but he was having difficulty holding a guitar pick. He is an MS activist and established Band Against MS in 2003 and a fundraising charity golf tournament in 2008.
David Lander
“Squiggy” from Laverne and Shirley kept his MS diagnosis a secret for 14 years, but he became an ambassador for the National MS Society after going public in 1999.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Best known for playing Tony Soprano’s daughter in The Sopranos, Sigler was diagnosed with MS in the early 2000s. She decided to go public in 2016 because she didn’t want her children to have to hide her disease.
Michaele Salahi
The Real Housewives of D.C. star kept her MS diagnosis from the public for 17 years, but she opened up about her diagnosis in a book written in 2010.
Richard Cohen
Emmy-winning TV producer, Richard Cohen, opened up about his MS and two bouts of colon cancer in his autobiography, Blindsided: Lifting a Life Above Illness: A Reluctant Memoir.
Tamia
R&B singer and wife of NBA star Grant Hill, Tamia was diagnosed with MS in 2003. She credits living with a professional athlete to helping her improve her health.
MS doesn’t have to interfere with your ability to live your life. Follow the example of these celebrities and keep achieving great things.