10 Celebrities Living With Type 1 Diabetes

These celebrities have shared their experiences living with type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic autoimmune disease in which your body can’t produce insulin, a key hormone that converts glucose into energy. The condition typically strikes during childhood, but it can develop at any age.

It’s estimated to affect nearly two million people in the United States alone

— and some of those people happen to be celebrities.

These celebrities are helping to bring awareness to type 1 diabetes and putting a spotlight on some lesser-known aspects of the disease by sharing their stories. They’re also proof that it’s possible to lead a fulfilling life when you have the condition, despite the challenges that can come with managing it.

223

Nick Jonas

The year 2005 was an important one for the musician Nick Jonas, one-third of the pop group the Jonas Brothers. Not only did the band form that year, but it was also the year he found out he had type 1 diabetes. Though diabetes management is often challenging for him given his touring schedule, Jonas — a cofounder of Beyond Type 1, a nonprofit organization aiming to educate and empower people living with diabetes — tries to stay positive. In an interview for the organization, Jonas said that when kids ask him how he manages his condition, “I let them know that I don’t have it all figured out and that chasing perfection with type 1 diabetes is impossible. There’s so much that’s out of your hands and finding a way to remain calm and patient in moments where diabetes interrupts your life is key.”

In October 2020, Jonas helped launch GetInsulin.org, a free online resource to help improve access to insulin for those living with diabetes.

224

Sonia Sotomayor

Justice Sonia Sotomayor was 7 years old when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. At the time of her nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court in May 2009, some critics questioned whether Sotomayor's condition would affect her ability to serve. But in her climb from childhood in a public housing project, to studying at Princeton and Yale, to sitting on the nation's highest court, she has managed to succeed despite the ups and downs that come with diabetes. Sotomayor also encourages parents of children with diabetes to help their kids achieve their goals. She published the children’s book Just Ask!, in which children with various disabilities work together to plant a garden.

“Any condition in life can be viewed as either a burden or it can be viewed as an opportunity to grow,” Sotomayor said in an Associated Press interview. “Because when you face life challenges, whether it’s a condition like diabetes or it’s any other condition that might be an illness, you have to learn how to be more resourceful and more disciplined about taking care of yourself and about maintaining your health.”

225

Victor Garber

Victor Garber’s acting career has spanned decades and includes such films and television series as Titanic, Argo, Godspell, and Alias. Garber has also been living with type 1 diabetes for nearly 65 years, having received his diagnosis at the age of 12.

Growing up, Garber didn’t have a community who could understand what it was like to live with type 1 diabetes, as he noted in an interview with Beyond Type 1.

But after spending two weeks at a diabetes camp with other children managing diabetes, he realized the importance of support networks for those with a chronic illness. Now the Canadian actor takes part in social media campaigns to show kids with type 1 diabetes that they’re not alone. “I wanted to get out and say, ‘I’m just like you, and you’re like me, and I’m okay, and I’m a face — an older face — for type 1,’” he explained.

Garber once served on Beyond Type 1’s leadership council, and works to raise awareness and funds for diabetes research.

226

Damon Dash

Damon Dash jumped to fame as the former CEO and cofounder of Roc-A-Fella Records with Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and Kareem "Biggs" Burke. Dash is a well-known name in the world of music, fashion, and movies — and, now, type 1 diabetes awareness. A self-described "OG of diabetes," according to an interview with Essence, he was diagnosed with the condition when he was 15 years old after experiencing weight loss, reduced appetite, and frequent urination.

Today, Dash works hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle. In an interview with Andscape, Dash explained: “Diabetes is a silent killer. It’s something that doesn’t kill you overnight. It takes a minute. So you always have to be thinking about your future when it comes to taking care of diabetes.”

227

Jean Smart

The actor Jean Smart has starred in TV shows such as Hacks, Designing Women, and 24; movies including Garden State and Sweet Home Alabama; and Broadway plays, too. Not only does Smart have an award-winning acting career, with two Golden Globes and six Emmys, she is a dedicated mentor, fundraiser, and activist working on behalf of those living with type 1 diabetes. Smart, who was 13 when she was diagnosed, has volunteered with Breakthrough T1D (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) and the American Diabetes Association, and has spoken about her experiences living with diabetes in front of the Senate Special Committee on Aging.

228

Bret Michaels

Bret Michaels is best known as a former VH1 reality star (Rock of Love with Bret Michaels) and the lead singer of the rock band Poison. Speaking to Yahoo! Life, Michaels shared that he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 6, but didn't go public about his condition until he collapsed onstage due to low blood sugar in 1987.

Now Michaels is an advocate for type 1 diabetes care and insulin access. In another interview, he thanked his parents for their positive attitudes about his illness as a child.

“[My mom] opened the first youth diabetic camp in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, because I was the only kid in my entire class growing up who had diabetes,” Michaels said. “I send so many kids to diabetic camp so they can see what I experienced. It literally saved and changed my life. I saw other kids with diabetes, and we all learned together, brick by brick, how to find a way to enjoy sports and make it all work. That experience has been used in every application of my life, and in some ways prepared me for the entertainment business.”

229

Gary Hall Jr.

The Olympic swimmer Gary Hall Jr. was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1999 after seeking an explanation for his lasting fatigue and constant thirst. At the time, Hall’s doctor told him he would never be able to swim competitively again, but in 2000, he took home his first individual gold medal, in the 50-meter freestyle race (a feat he repeated in 2004).

Now Hall is involved in efforts to cure the illness that almost curtailed his career. He’s a member of Breakthrough T1D and travels across the United States to speak at fundraisers and advocate for diabetes research. Hall also hopes to spread a message of hope to young athletes with type 1 diabetes. “I have [type 1 diabetes], and I’ve been able to compete at the world’s highest level,” he told the International Olympic Committee. “If I can do that, then it’s okay for an 8-year-old soccer player or an athlete at a high school state meet.”

230

Dorian Gregory

Diabetes runs in the family of Dorian Gregory, an actor and the final host of the long-running TV show Soul Train. Gregory, who has appeared on TV shows such as Charmed and Baywatch Nights, lost a grandmother to type 2 diabetes and has an aunt who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Gregory himself was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 9, and has served as a spokesman for Breakthough T1D (then JDRF).

He gave this advice to BlackDoctor.org, an online health resource especially for Black Americans: "Make the maintenance of your diabetes fit your construct. If you are forgetful, set alarms to remind you of what you [must do]. Know that life is our medicine, not just the shots or pills we take. Exercise, food, sleep, [and] management of stress [are] also our medicine. Take all your medicine."

231

Elliott Yamin

Elliott Yamin may be best known for his singing voice, which won him third place in American Idol's fifth season, but he's also made news as a diabetes advocate. Yamin was diagnosed with diabetes at age 16 after his mother (who also had diabetes) recognized his lethargy, extreme thirst, and joint pains as warning signs of high blood sugar.

But Yamin wasn’t always so comfortable with his diagnosis. "I was in denial," he told Beyond Type 1.

"I didn’t understand how I could just go from one day being a healthy kid to all of a sudden having to cope with [an] incurable disease." But he persisted in working toward his star-studded dreams, adding: “My road was a hard one, and I’m stronger for it!”

232

Crystal Bowersox

The American Idol contestant Crystal Bowersox nearly had to leave the competition in 2010 when she went into diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a serious complication that can lead to coma or death. producers told her she couldn’t continue in the competition.Idol, a serious condition that can lead to coma or death. The DKA struck her suddenly: In an interview with NPR, Bowersox revealed that, although she had been diagnosed as a child, she hadn’t been regularly monitoring her blood sugar while on the show.

She ended up hospitalized, and Idol producers told her she couldn’t continue in the competition.

She asked for a meeting with Fox network executives, who told her she could stay on the show if she remained under 24-hour nursing care. “[I]t was definitely a wake-up call for me, and I realized the responsibility that I had not only for myself, but for my son and for millions of kids with diabetes and anyone with diabetes, really,” she said. “I had to prove that it's possible to do this, to have this dream and to have diabetes as well,” she added. “It's a manageable disease and there's no reason that it should control my life that way.” She went on to claim second place on the show.

Bowersox has used her fame to speak out about diabetes. She was previously a member of the leadership council for Beyond Type 1. She also teamed up with Lilly Diabetes to promote their Know Before the Low initiative, which aimed to help people avoid unexpected blood sugar emergencies.

The Takeaway

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic autoimmune disease in which your body can’t produce insulin, a key hormone that converts glucose into energy.
The condition is most often diagnosed in children, but it can occur at any age.
It’s estimated that nearly two million people in the United States live with type 1 diabetes.
In an effort to increase awareness and reduce the stigma attached to chronic illness, some celebrities have openly shared their experiences.

Resources We Trust

Mayo Clinic: Type 1 Diabetes
National Library of Medicine: Type 1 Diabetes
Cleveland Clinic: Type 1 Diabetes
Beyond Type 1: What Is Type 1 Diabetes?
Breakthrough T1D: Type 1 Diabetes Basics

Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

Resources

Type 1 Diabetes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Statistics About Diabetes. American Diabetes Association. November 2, 2023.
Boise M. Why Beyond Type 1 Matters: An Interview With Nick Jonas. Beyond Type 1. July 11, 2018.
nickjonas. Instagram. October 5, 2020.
Balaban S. 'Just Ask!' Says Sonia Sotomayor. She Knows What It's Like to Feel Different. NPR. September 1, 2019.
Gresko J. In Kids’ Book, Sotomayor Asks: Whom Have You Helped Today? Associated Press. January 21, 2022.
Victor Garber on Knowing You’re Not Alone Author: Michelle Boise. Beyond Type 1. April 29, 2015.
Kwateng-Clark D. Damon Dash On What It's Like Living Three Decades With Diabetes. Essence. October 26, 2020.
Evans KD. Entertainment Mogul Damon Dash’s New Dash Diabetes Network Is All About Healthy Living. Andscape. August 21, 2017.
Diabetes Research: Reducing the Burden of Diabetes at All Ages and Stages. United States Senate Special Committee on Aging. July 10, 2013.
Grumman Bender R. Bret Michaels on the Challenges of Life With Diabetes: 'It Motivates Me to Work Harder Rather Than Give Up’. Yahoo! Life. February 19. 2019.
Kugel A. Interview: Bret Michaels — The Resilient Rocker Opens His Personal Scrapbook. SF Sonic. 2020.
Olympic Champion Gary Hall Junior Lifts the Lid on Succeeding With Type 1 Diabetes. International Olympic Committee. August 12, 2020.
Watts M. Dorian Gregory. Diabetes.co.uk. October 29, 2023.
Lane D. My Story: “Diagnosed At Age 9, But I Didn’t Let That Stop Me”. BlackDoctor.org. April 19, 2024.
Melvin A. American Idol Elliott Yamin Dishes on Life and T1D. Beyond Type 1. January 5, 2016.
Martin M. Crystal Bowersox: Life After ‘American Idol’. NPR Music. January 20, 2011.

Anna L. Goldman, MD

Medical Reviewer

Castle Connolly Top Doctor

Anna L. Goldman, MD, is a board-certified endocrinologist. She teaches first year medical students at Harvard Medical School and practices general endocrinology in Boston.

Dr. Goldman attended college at Wesleyan University and then completed her residency at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, where she was also a chief resident. She moved to Boston to do her fellowship in endocrinology at Brigham and Women's Hospital. She joined the faculty after graduation and served as the associate program director for the fellowship program for a number of years.

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Juhie Bhatia

Author

Juhie has almost 10 years of experience writing and editing mostly health- and science-related content. She has written for Reuters Health, HealthDay, Bulletin for the World Health Organization, MSNBC.com, Natural Health magazine, and Women's eNews and worked as a nutrition consultant for the Center for Science in the Public Interest's Nutrition Action Healthletter. She graduated from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2004 and also has a bachelor's degree from the University of Guelph, Canada, in nutritional sciences.

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Lauren Bedosky

Author

Lauren Bedosky is an experienced health and fitness writer. She regularly contributes to top websites and publications like Men's Health, Women's Health, MyFitnessPal, SilverSneakers, Runner's World, Experience Life, Prevention, AARP, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare, Livestrong, Fitness, Shape, Family Circle, Healthline, Self, Redbook, and Women's Running.

When she's not writing about health and fitness — her favorite topics being anything related to running and strength training — she's reading up on the latest and greatest news in the field and working on her own health goals.

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10 Celebrities Living With Type 1 Diabetes

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