It wasn’t until people on social media sounded the alarm about a distinct physical feature that Amy Schumer received her Cushing’s syndrome diagnosis. The comedian, who first announced her condition in February 2024, has opened up about how she came to find out she has the hormonal disorder. But what is Cushing’s syndrome, exactly? Here, read everything Schumer has said about her diagnosis, plus sneaky Cushing’s syndrome symptoms to watch for.
Amy Schumer’s Cushing’s syndrome diagnosis
During an interview for Jessica Yellin’s “News Not Noise” newsletter in February 2024, Schumer went public with her diagnosis, crediting people online who had pointed out her noticeably “puffier” face—sometimes dubbed cortisol face or moon face—while she promoted season 2 of Hulu’s Life & Beth.
“I’ve enjoyed feedback and deliberation about my appearance as all women do for almost 20 years,” she wrote sarcastically in an Instagram caption. “And you’re right, it is puffier than normal right now. I have endometriosis [and] an autoimmune disease that every woman should read about. There are some medical and hormonal things going on in my world right now, but I’m okay.”
She was, in part, alluding to a diagnosis of the hormone disorder known as exogenous Cushing’s syndrome, which is caused by high levels of cortisol in the body.
A battery of tests confirmed the diagnosis
“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 told Yellin. “So finding out I have the kind of Cushing’s that will just work itself out and I’m healthy was the greatest news imaginable.”
She also said she felt “reborn” after receiving her prognosis, and grateful for the fact that she had an easily treatable type of Cushing’s syndrome. Other varieties (more on that below) can be fatal, require brain surgery or removal of adrenal glands.
“It has been a crazy couple [of] weeks for me and my family,” the Trainwreck actress 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 Cushing’s syndrome symptom that Schumer’s fans noticed
During a recent appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Schumer recounted her Cushing’s syndrome journey and told host Alex Cooper that a year ago, when the internet comments about her swollen face came flooding in, she ignored them at first. But then, physicians began expressing concern as well.
“Doctors were chiming in in the comments and they were like, ‘No, no…something’s really up. Your face looks so crazy,’” she said.
Schumer then remembered that she had been getting steroid injections for scars from a breast reduction and Cesarean section after the birth of her son in 2019.
“So I was getting these steroid injections and so it gave me this thing called Cushing’s syndrome—which I wouldn’t have known if the internet hadn’t come for me so hard,” she said. In Schumer’s case, the steroid shots raised her cortisol levels enough to trigger the condition.
What health condition did you initially overlook before being diagnosed?
What is Cushing’s syndrome?
Cushing’s syndrome is a disorder that occurs when chronic production of cortisol (the primary stress hormone) is elevated, explains Michael Chichak, MD, Medical Director at MEDvidi.
Symptoms can develop from prolonged stress, usage of corticosteroid medications (commonly prescribed for chronic asthma or autoimmune diseases), tumors within the pituitary gland or an overactive adrenal gland, he notes, all of which result in a condition known as Cushing disease.
“If no treatment is provided for excess secretion of cortisol, the body systems undergo a multitude of changes physically and metabolically,” says Dr. Chichak.
Schumer’s Cushing’s is an exogenous form, which means it was caused by something outside the body (in her case, the steroid injections), which act like cortisol in the body. Endogenous Cushing’s syndrome is caused by cortisol produced within the body.
Cushing’s syndrome symptoms
As Schumer has discussed, Cushing’s syndrome can cause noticeable fat accumulation and facial swelling as well as muscle loss and weight gain around the midsection, says Dr. Chichak.
Other noticeable symptoms include:
- Weak muscles
- Slow-healing wounds
- Bruising easily
- Skin that is easy to tear
- Blue or purple stretch marks, especially on the abdomen, thighs or breasts
- A fatty hump between the shoulder blades (sometimes called a “buffalo hump”)
- High blood pressure
- Excessive hair growth on the face, neck, chest, abdomen, breasts and thighs, or balding
- Diabetes
- Fatigue
- Blurry vision and dizziness
- Libido changes
If you notice any of these symptoms, visit your doctor. He or she will take your medical history and run tests such as urine, blood or saliva tests, a CT scan, MRI or more to confirm a Cushing’s syndrome diagnosis.
Treatment depends on what’s causing your elevated cortisol levels. If it’s triggered by steroid shots, like Schumer’s was, reducing or eliminating the shots can bring down the amount of cortisol in your body to a healthier level. If the condition is caused by your body’s own elevated cortisol production, your doctor may recommend medication, surgery or radiation therapy.
This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan.
