(NEXSTAR) – Actress and comedian Amy Schumer is opening up about her health after facing online criticism over her appearance.
Earlier this month, the 42-year-old appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” to promote Season 2 of “Life & Beth,” a Hulu series that she created and stars in.
After the interview aired, some social media users questioned why Schumer’s face looked different. She responded to the comments in an Instagram post on Feb. 15, writing: “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,” she added.
Schumer later revealed she has exogenous Cushing syndrome, “brought on by getting steroid injections in high doses,” in an interview published Friday in the News Not Noise newsletter.
Cushing syndrome occurs when your body produces too much cortisol, often called the “stress hormone,” according to the National Institutes of Health. The rare condition can cause weight gain, a round face, high blood pressure and other complications like heart attack and stroke.
“There are a few types of Cushing – some that can be fatal, require brain surgery or removal of adrenal glands,” Schumer told Jessica Yellen, journalist and founder of News Not Noise.
“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. So finding out I have the kind of Cushing that will just work itself out and I’m healthy was the greatest news imaginable,” she continued.
Even though Schumer has called out critics for commenting on her appearance, she said “having the internet chime in” led her to seek treatment.
“Thank God for that. Because that’s how I realized something was wrong,” she told Yellen. “The internet is undefeated, as they say.”
Aside from Cushing syndrome, Schumer previously shared that she was diagnosed with endometriosis – a chronic inflammatory disease where tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside of the uterus, according to the World Health Organization.
“It can cause severe pain in the pelvis and make it harder to get pregnant,” the organization noted on its website.
In September 2021, Schumer posted an Instagram video of herself in a hospital bed the morning after getting her uterus and appendix removed due to the disease.
Schumer said in her interview with Yellen that she’s publicly sharing information about her medical issues to “advocate for women’s health.”
“The shaming and criticism of our ever-changing bodies is something I have dealt with and witnessed for a long time,” she said. “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.”
