Tragic Health Issues Halsey Has Dealt With

This article includes references to suicide, pregnancy loss, and eating disorders.

Halsey's road to success has been paved with challenges. Speaking to Billboard in 2016, Halsey, who uses she/they pronouns, shared that she didn't quite fit in with her peers in high school and was bullied relentlessly for it. The singer also divulged that they were admitted into a psychiatric hospital following a suicide attempt at 17 and a bipolar disorder diagnosis. Then, in her Rolling Stone interview later that same year, Halsey shared that she dropped out of community college at 19, and her parents understandably weren't too pleased. In fact, they kicked Halsey out of the house, cut off her access to their health insurance, and took her off their phone plan. The pop star recalled only having about $9 to their name at the time so they mostly survived on $1 pizza slices and energy drinks. 

Similarly, when the "Without Me" hitmaker spoke at the 2019 Ending Youth Homelessness event, she admitted to even considering sex work as a means to get by, sharing, "My friends were picking out decorations for their dorms and I was debating on whether or not I should let a stranger inside of me so I could pay for my next meal," (via YouTube). In addition to dealing with all these problems, the singer also faced several physical health issues. In fact, in a 2022 TikTok video, she acknowledged using some of these problems as inspiration for the visuals in her "Love and Power" tour. As Billboard noted, the singer also candidly disclosed, "I've been kind of sick most of my adult life," and they weren't being hyperbolic.

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In June 2024, Halsey released "The End," the first single off her fifth studio album. In the Instagram announcement for the track, the singer-songwriter shared that she had faced a health issue so severe that it made her glad she was still alive. The carousel attached to the post featured a video in which Halsey massaged her legs to ease some of the aches while noting that the pain made her feel much older than she was. The "Sorry" hitmaker also detailed how she kept herself optimistic by reassuring herself that she wouldn't feel as sick after a couple of years. The then-29-year-old shared her hopes for the next decade: "At 30 I'm having a rebirth and I'm not going to be sick and I'm going to look super-hot and have lots of energy and I'm just going to get to redo my 20s in my 30s." 

The "Without Me" singer followed the video up with clips of herself undergoing treatment at hospitals and crafting her new record in the studio. After receiving tons of support from fans, Halsey posted on Instagram to confirm that they had received a lupus SLE and a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder diagnosis in 2022, "Both of which are currently being managed or in remission; and both of which I will likely have for the duration of my life." The pop star also admitted that the concurrent health issues brought about a rough period in her life initially, but she eventually found the right doctors, who eased her symptoms.

During Halsey's 2018 appearance on "The Doctors," she divulged that her mother warned her that she may have painful periods like the rest of her uterus-bearing family members. However, the singer-songwriter's symptoms often proved debilitating. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the "Colors" hitmaker recalled, "I was [...] finding myself doubled over backstage in the middle of my set, or fighting back tears on an airplane, or even being in so much pain that I would vomit or faint." Likewise, in her 2018 speech at the Blossom Ball, Halsey sadly confessed that her symptoms frequently prevented her from spending time with her loved ones. Though she paid several visits to medical professionals, they weren't much help. During her "Doctors" interview, Halsey pointed out they weren't too empathetic about their pain either. 

In fact, Halsey's symptoms were dismissed as a result of chronic fatigue, anxiety, or PCOS. According to her X post, some doctors even told her she was being overly dramatic. After years of endurance, Halsey was finally diagnosed with endometriosis. While delivering their speech at The Blossom Ball, the "Closer" singer shared that they got surgery to help ease some of the symptoms, and felt far better afterward. However, Halsey tearfully admitted that she was afraid that the condition would become draining once again and drive her family and friends away, candidly sharing that she was afraid people wouldn't understand her pain and leave "because I'm a lot easier to deal with when I'm healthy."

During Halsey's speech at the Blossom Ball in 2018, she discussed suffering a miscarriage when she was 20. The "Boy With Luv" singer wasn't aware that she was pregnant and only realized it once the bleeding started. Halsey further recalled that she was on tour at the time, so she had to cope with her miscarriage in a hotel room surrounded by her male managers, who didn't understand what the singer was going through. Halsey had a concert later in the day, and the managers subtly encouraged her to perform because the show would be watched by millions. So, the "Bad at Love" hitmaker took a pill to ease her pain, put on an adult diaper, and got on stage to see the faces of thousands of adoring fans who had no idea what she was going through. 

The entire experience came with an epiphany: "It was in that moment that I realized being a woman and dealing with reproductive health is being treated like you're not a human." Halsey continued, "It is being treated like you're a robot, and you're supposed to wake up every day and get over it." While speaking on "The Doctors," a then-23-year-old Halsey revealed that she intended to freeze her eggs, reasoning, "I need to be more aggressive about protecting my fertility, about protecting myself."

Halsey's firstborn, Ender Ridley Aydin, came from their relationship with then-boyfriend Alev Aydin. About a year after the little one's arrival, the "You Should Be Sad" singer took to Instagram Stories to share that pregnancy and childbirth had worsened her health. They detailed, "I was hospitalized for anaphylaxis a few times and I had some other stuff going on," (via USA Today). Ultimately, after countless doctors' visits, Halsey received a diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Sjögren's syndrome, mast cell activation syndrome, and POTS. As noted by the Cleveland Clinic, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a genetic condition that weakens the skin's connective tissue, which makes it far more stretchy while the joints feel more shaky. Sjogren's syndrome is an autoimmune disorder that affects the moisture levels in your glands. Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is a condition that causes the heart rate to fluctuate as a person changes from a seated or a lying position to standing. And finally, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome causes a person to repeatedly feel a variety of allergy symptoms.

In a follow-up post, Halsey detailed that her health conditions didn't appear out of thin air but were rather things that she had dealt with for years that weren't being accurately diagnosed. They elaborated, "My sicknesses just have their names now. I went to doctors for 8 years. Trying to figure out what was wrong with me." She continued, "I was called crazy and anxious and lazy amongst other things. I changed my entire lifestyle."

In December 2020, a fan asked Halsey to share a time when they had hit rock bottom. The singer-songwriter answered the Instagram prompt by posting a photo of herself taken while she had an eating disorder. Under the snap, the singer-songwriter urged people in similar situations to seek medical treatment. The photo received tons of backlash because many found it quite triggering. Social media users further called the "Eastside" hitmaker out for sharing the photo without first warning them that it could be damaging to those currently with eating disorders. A little while later, Halsey deleted the Story. They later took to X to apologize to those negatively impacted by the photograph and accepted that they should've added a trigger warning before posting. About a year later, however, Halsey was applauded for sharing a realistic look at her postpartum body. 

In the Instagram carousel's caption, the Grammy nominee explained that she chose to publicly display her postpartum body because her "Saturday Night Live" appearance from a few days prior had falsely convinced people that she had an incredible body transformation post-pregnancy. Halsey revealed that the change wasn't authentic and could be attributed to the fitting of their tailor-made outfit and the lighting in the studio. She asserted, "I will never have my 'pre baby body back' no matter how it changes physically because I have now had a baby!" They added, "And that has altered me forever; emotionally, spiritually, and physically. That change is permanent. And I don't want to go back!"

If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who does, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).