Tragic Details About Amy Schumer's Life

Comedy and pop-culture fans have watched the stunning transformation of Amy Schumer over the years. The modern stand-up legend has become famous for her unapologetic approach to comedy — she makes honest jokes about topics others are afraid to broach, and she stands up for herself even in the most uncomfortable circumstances. Because of this, Schumer has garnered her own television series, won awards for her work, gained the respect of her peers, and amassed millions of fans along the way. 

But what you don't know about Schumer is that her life hasn't always been easy. The star comic has faced her share of adversity. From health and familial issues to multiple forms of discrimination, Schumer has had to fight for her place in Hollywood, as well as to live a pain-free life. Though she's faced everything with her signature sense of humor, Schumer has still struggled. Here are the tragic details about Amy Schumer's life. 

Amy Schumer has always been open about her Jewish heritage. The comedian describes herself as half Jewish, with her dad's side of the family having a long line of Jewish ancestors. Schumer has also been open about the antisemitism she dealt with while growing up.

The actor was raised on Long Island, a community with deep Catholic roots, and as Schumer has described, the people of the Catholic faith weren't welcoming to her because of her ancestry. "Judaism, for me, is just another area where I didn't feel accepted or like I belonged ... The kids [on Long Island] used to call me 'Amy Jewmer.' And I really did: even with the parents of my friends, there was a ton of anti-Semitism going on, openly and in front of me," Schumer said in a 2011 interview with Punchline Magazine (which was later renamed Laughspin).

Schumer has also noted that the antisemitism was physical — she told The New Yorker that other kids on Long Island threw pennies at her. The comedian said that the discrimination went on for years and that she'll always feel some of its weight. "When [I] went to college, it was the first time I wasn't apologizing for being Jewish, but there's definitely some residual shame that I grew up with because of it," Schumer explained to Punchline.

Aside from the antisemitism, much of Amy Schumer's early life was good. Her father, Gordon Schumer, owned a successful business, and she and her family lived a fairly lavish life because of it. But around the time Amy turned 9, things changed. Gordon had been secretly dealing with alcoholism, and because of it, his business went under. "I don't remember how it felt to lose everything, but I do remember men coming to take my dad's car when I was ten," Amy wrote in her 2016 memoir "The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo," as reported by The New Yorker.

But that wasn't all. When Amy was nine, Gordon was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), "a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord," per the Mayo Clinic. "It was awful," Amy said of Gordon's diagnosis in an interview with Barbara Walters for ABC. "It was just confusing to me, especially the way MS works. He was in physical pain. That's when I kind of took the lead and took care of everybody in my family. I would keep everybody laughing." Gordon's diagnosis still affects Amy and her family today. "Some days I go to visit my dad and it's so painful. I can't even believe it," Amy said.

Anyone who's watched Amy Schumer's work, whether they know it or not, is familiar with some of the struggles she's faced. In Amy's series "Life & Beth," the eponymous character, who's portrayed by Amy, has a complex relationship with her mother. As the actor has shared, those storylines stem from her own relationship with her mother, Sandra Schumer.

A few years after Amy's father, Gordon Schumer, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Gordon and Sandra divorced. The divorce led to some instability for Amy and her siblings. "I'm pretty sure we lived in nine different places before I graduated from high school," Amy's sister Kim Caramele told The New Yorker. Sandra's actions during Amy and Kim's teenage years contributed to the instability. "[My parents] both started dating, and I think some of [my mom's] behavior around that time was pretty destructive to my sister and I," Amy said on a 2022 episode of "Making Space with Hoda Kotb."

Amy and her mother have come a long way, but it took some work. "I think it took me 10 years. I think it hit me when I was 30, how destructive she was, and it took me 10 years to really, really ... let that all go," Amy said of forgiving her mother during the podcast interview with Kotb.

Life has not been easy for Amy Schumer physically. She's had athletic hobbies — like surfing and volleyball — all her life, and both have left her with permanent issues. When Schumer was in high school, she nearly lost her life from a surfing accident. The fin of Schumer's board went into her leg, and she had to pull it out herself.

"I had to pick up my board, swim in. It was just about to be winter and no one was on the beach. But I found like one guy with this other guy. I was like, 'I need you to hold my leg,'" Schumer told Vanity Fair in 2016 of the incident, crediting the unknown man with saving her life. The ambulance had to come get Schumer from the beach, and she was left with 41 stitches in her leg.

Volleyball has been hard on Schumer's body, too. "From old volleyball and surfing injuries I have a herniated disc, a bulging disc and a labral tear in my hip," she shared on Instagram while showing footage of the procedures she's undergone and the work she's put in to become healthy again. "You don't have to live with pain. Do the work to feel better. It's worth it!"

Finding success in the entertainment industry is no easy feat, and making a go of a creative career can toy with an artist's confidence. Amy Schumer has been very open about the ups and downs of career and how the whims of success have shaken her view of herself. Schumer began doing stand-up comedy after graduating from college, but it took a few years before she gained any notoriety.

The actor was selected to be a contestant on "Last Comic Standing," a reality competition show seeking talented stand-up comedians. Schumer came in fourth place in her season, which led to bigger career opportunities, but they dwindled a bit soon after. It took some time for Schumer to find steady success in her career.

The comedian has also struggled to find personal confidence. "No, I definitely did [lose my confidence]. I've been up and down my whole life," Schumer said about herself in an interview with Fast Company. "I think I have a really good baseline now where I am proud of myself, but that takes a lot of work. That took therapy and letting go of the past and just realizing kind of who I am. And what makes somebody who they are."

Working in a creative industry isn't easy. Those who create are open to intense criticism, and sometimes that criticism can become scary. Amy Schumer has always pushed the envelope with her comedy, and it's led to pushback. In 2011, Schumer participated in the "Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen." The comedian made a joke about "Jackass" star Steve-O, another participant at the roast, that many found insensitive, and Schumer received death threats because of it. "At the time, [my people] were, 'Can you call your fans off? Because she's getting serious death threats.' And he didn't really do a good job at the time, and it pissed me off," Schumer told Vanity Fair of the situation.

Schumer received similarly intense hatred because of her jokes in the time since. In 2022, she hosted the Oscars (where she witnessed Will Smith's violent outburst), and she made a joke about nominee Kirsten Dunst, calling her a "seat filler." "I got death threats," Schumer said on an episode of "The Howard Stern Show" of the bit, which she noted that she worked on with Dunst. "[The death threats] were so bad that the Secret Service reached out to me," she added. The pushback was so intense that it prompted Dunst to speak out, too, confirming she knew about the joke ahead of time.

Amy Schumer's physical issues haven't just stemmed from the sports she participated in while growing up — she's also got some serious medical diagnoses. One condition Schumer has is endometriosis, which is "what it is called when the endometrial lining of the uterus is growing in other places outside of the uterus but also including completely outside of the female fertility tract, such as in areas like the abdomen pelvis or chest," Sulagna Misra, MD, BCMAS — who is the founding physician at Misra Wellness® – shared exclusively with The List. 

Schumer had been dealing with intense pain chronically since she began menstruating, but she said that she was often dismissed because she's a woman. "I would hopefully get a good week a month where I wasn't in pretty significant pain," Schumer said on an episode of "The Checkup with Dr. David Agnus." She had to advocate for herself in order to get a diagnosis, and after being properly diagnosed and receiving treatment, the comedian has felt much better.

"It just felt like someone lifted this veil that had been over me and I just felt like a different person," she said of the change she felt after her diagnosis. Schumer spoke up for herself to receive proper medical care, and she's since spoken out about the importance of seeking help even when others are dismissive.

Amy Schumer did not have an easy pregnancy. The comedian suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), "the medical term for severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy," per the Cleveland Clinic. Schumer attributes her HG to her endometriosis. "Anyone wondering if this is connected to my difficult pregnancy and hyperemesis I say f**k yes!" Schumer said on Instagram, though she did continue, "I can't answer medically because there is no research."

While experts say that there's no known link between the two conditions, Schumer did have to undergo a major surgery in order to find relief from her endometriosis. "I had a tumor in my endo ravaged appendix. Chocolate cysts in both ovaries. Endo of the uterus, psoas all over," Schumer said on Instagram. The comedian had to have her uterus and appendix removed because of the intense pain she was feeling.

While it is unusual for endometriosis to cause pain on the appendix, it's not impossible. "As the appendix is located within the abdominal cavity and belongs to the intestines, it can have endometrial tissue grow on it that's causing the need for an appendectomy or removal of the tissue," Dr. Sulagna Misra shared exclusively with The List.

Amy Schumer has long been criticized because of her appearance. When she first gained notoriety, she had both the media and the public scrutinizing her over her weight. The scrutiny was especially intense when it was reported that Schumer was in talks to star as Barbie in the then-upcoming live-action film about the famous doll.

But Schumer has never taken the criticism lying down. "Is it fat-shaming if you know you're not fat and have zero shame in your game? I don't think so. I am strong and proud of how I live my life and say what I mean and fight for what I believe in and I have a blast doing it with the people I love," she said on Instagram, as reported by GMA.

Schumer dealt with another bout of renewed criticism of her looks in 2024 when the public noticed that her face got puffier. As she noted, her face had indeed gotten puffier, but it was due to her medical conditions. "I have endometriosis an auto immune 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," Schumer said on Instagram, giving reason to her change in appearance. "I wanted to take the opportunity to advocate for self love and acceptance of the skin you're in."

Criticism can lead to learning new information. After receiving harsh criticism for her puffy face, Amy Schumer decided to seek further medical treatment, and Schumer learned she has Cushing syndrome, which "is a result of the body having too much cortisol ... either because the body makes too much or because steroids may be needed to treat certain chronic diseases," as told exclusively to The List by Dr. Sulagna Misra of Misra Wellness. While endometriosis can cause a puffy face, Schumer subsequently attributed hers to Cushing. Luckily for Schumer, she should be okay, despite the diagnosis. "I have the kind of Cushing that will just work itself out and I'm healthy [which] was the greatest news imaginable," Schumer said in the News Not Noise newsletter, as reported by BBC.

Schumer has long dealt with chronic illness. In addition to battling endometriosis and Cushing syndrome, she has trichotillomania, a mental health condition that "involves frequent, repeated and irresistible urges to pull out hair from your scalp, eyebrows or other areas of your body," per the Mayo Clinic. Schumer dealt with this disease as a teenager, and her struggles were depicted in her original scripted series "Life & Beth." "When I was 13, I pulled out so much hair that I needed to get a wig and wear a wig to school," Schumer bravely opened up about an episode of "The Howard Stern Show," adding that she still battles the disorder. She called the experience her younger self went through "humiliating" and "really hard."

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

As noted, Amy Schumer has faced antisemitism her whole life, and it hasn't ended in adulthood. Schumer is a Jewish woman, which she takes pride in, but she's also been subject to discrimination because of it. For years, Schumer has felt that antisemitism is on the rise, and she has been actively trying to fight it. "If you're a Jewish kid ... the Holocaust is a real part of your DNA. I'm descended from survivors of Auschwitz, and I think people don't realize that what the Jewish people as a whole are afraid of is that happening again," Schumer said to The Hollywood Reporter in 2022.

Schumer noticed a major increase in antisemitism at the end of 2023 when Israel went to war with Hamas, and she took the brunt of it on social media. "The focus is so razor-sharp on Jewish people but not on Hamas. It's very strange," Schumer shared with Variety in April 2024. "It's gotten to this place where you can't speak up for other Jews without people feeling like it's a slight to the conditions in Gaza." Schumer further recognized the complexity of the issue, and she noted that she doesn't condone the violence against the Palestinian people either. "Of course what's going on in Gaza is sickening, horrifying and unthinkable. And, I don't think it's OK to hate anyone because they were born Jewish," she said.