Celebrity Health Struggles That Completely Flew Under The Radar

It often feels like celebrities' lives are totally available for public consumption. They're followed by photographers, usually active on social media, interviewed on a seemingly regular basis, and written about frequently. Sometimes, stars are so open about parts of their lives that the public learns information they didn't want to know. In short, being a famous person in the United States is a vastly different experience from being a regular citizen. 

But not everything in a celebrity's life has to be made public, and more often than the public may realize, public figures conceal specific details that they don't want the masses to know about, like having challenging diseases. Just like regular people, stars sometimes experience medical issues and, for a variety of reasons, they don't always want to share this news. For these 11 celebrities, their health struggles flew completely under the radar until they were ready to reveal them. 

James Van Der Beek has had fans upon fans since the late '90s, especially thanks to being one of the stars of "Dawson's Creek" and "Varsity Blues." Van Der Beek is still a busy actor, and he keeps his fans apprised of his happenings via social media. But there's one major part of his life he kept a secret, and he finally opened up in November of 2024. "On August 31st of last year, I became one of the many, many millions of Americans, and people around the world, who found out I have cancer," Van Der Beek shared in a video filmed for People, specifying that he was diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer.

The actor detailed the exact moment he learned about his illness, noting that he'd been experiencing some symptoms and went to the doctor to undergo some testing. Van Der Beek was shocked to hear the news, and he wanted more information as he didn't yet have a complete diagnosis and didn't know much about cancer. The actor's life changed in an instant, as his treatment became the top priority in his life. Van Der Beek remained positive, though. "I really felt like, 'This is gonna be the biggest life redirect. I'm gonna make changes that I never would've made otherwise,'" he said, adding that he kept that attitude throughout most of his treatment. While Van Der Beek isn't yet in remission, he's still optimistic about his prognosis.

Chadwick Boseman's heartbreaking death came as a shock to many. The Oscar nominee was just 43 years old, and it came in the summer of 2020, a tumultuous time for the entire world and just seven months after the unexpected death of basketball icon Kobe Bryant. What further surprised fans was Boseman's cause of death. "Chadwick was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016, and battled with it these last 4 years as it progressed to stage IV," the announcement shared on his Instagram page read.

The rest of the announcement proved just how strong Boseman remained throughout his illness. "A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much. From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and several more, all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy," it read, reminding fans of all the brilliant work Boseman did, all while keeping his diagnosis underwraps. While Boseman's death was heartbreaking to many, it was not in vain. His sickness has raised awareness about colon cancer, a disease that is more prevalent among Black men. "I think that was probably the No. 1 thing that came out of his death because a lot of patients did start asking specific questions like, 'What do I need to look for as symptoms?' So, awareness definitely increased," one doctor told NBC News.

Jenna Fischer kept of the tragic details of her life — her cancer diagnosis — a secret, too. A former star of the sitcom "The Office," Fischer shared in October 2024, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, that she'd been diagnosed with stage one breast cancer in December of 2023. Though she was sharing upsetting news, Fischer did have an uplifting message in that she is cancer-free. The actor encouraged other women to get screened for breast cancer, noting that her prognosis could have been much worse had she waited any longer.

While it's impressive for anyone in the public eye to undergo cancer treatment without the news leaking, it was doubly impressive for Fischer as she's one of the hosts of one of the most popular podcasts in the world, "Office Ladies." Fischer shared that she was able to continue working on the podcast thanks to the support of her co-host, best friend, and former "Office" co-star, Angela Kinsey. "From the beginning, she said, 'Whatever you need. You tell me. I'm here,'" Fischer said on "Today" of Kinsey's support. Fischer didn't want anyone at work to know, so Kinsey kept her secret. When Fischer lost her hair and wore wig hats to record episodes of "Office Ladies," Kinsey started wearing a hat to record, too, so Fischer wouldn't feel uncomfortable. "It was amazing," Fischer said.

Multiple famous women came forward with breast cancer diagnoses in 2024. Months before Jenna Fischer shared her news, Olivia Munn revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer in April of 2023 and had quietly undergone treatment. Munn had four separate surgeries, including a double mastectomy, to combat the cancer. "You realize cancer doesn't care who you are; it doesn't care if you have a baby or if you don't have time. It comes at you, and you have no choice but to face it head-on," Munn said to People after sharing her diagnosis. The actor's oldest child was only a year old at the time of her treatment.

Since sharing the details of her sickness, Munn has been proactive in raising awareness and providing support for others walking the same journey. The actor has answered questions about her experience with breast cancer on social media, and she starred in a Skims campaign in which she posed topless and showed off the scar she has from her surgery. "I decided I was done being insecure about my mastectomy scars. Every mark life has left behind on my body is proof of how hard I fought," Munn said on Instagram. "I hope other women who have been self-conscious about their scars see these photos and feel all the love I'm sending."

For years, Michael J. Fox was known for his starring role in the "Back to the Future" films. These days, however, he's just as well known for living with Parkinson's disease, a disorder of the nervous system that affects the ability to move and causes other serious symptoms. Fox has been a huge advocate for others with Parkinson's, and he's been honored with awards for his work. "I know without fail that we are getting closer — day by day, year by year — to the breakthroughs that will make finding a cure inevitable," Fox said in an interview with Neurology Now. "A lot of work lies ahead of us. But this is a responsibility we have, and we want people to know someone is trying to get this work done."

But Fox wasn't always so open. The actor was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1991 at age 29, but it wasn't until 1998 that Fox publicly shared his health news. Fox made the announcement via a People magazine cover, but it wasn't until he felt outside pressure to do so. "It was seven or eight years after I had been diagnosed ... [and] the paparazzi and stuff, they would stand outside my apartment and heckle at me, like, 'What's a matter with you?'" Fox told Entertainment Tonight. Having sympathy for his neighbors having to put up with the paparazzi, Fox went public, and he was glad that he did so.

One thing you might not know about Selena Gomez is that she shared some serious health news in a 2015 interview with Billboard. "I was diagnosed with [autoimmune disease] lupus, and I've been through chemotherapy," she said. The public reveal came two years after she'd been diagnosed, which came after she canceled the tail end of her 2013 tour and spent some time at a rehab facility in early 2014. Gomez's time at rehab was accompanied by rumors of the reason for the stay, which frustrated the singer. "That's what my break was really about. I could've had a stroke. I wanted so badly to say, 'You guys have no idea. I'm in chemotherapy. You're a**holes,'" she said.

Gomez's journey with lupus has lasted years. In 2017, Gomez had a kidney transplant, with her friend and fellow actor Francia Raisa generously donating her spare organ. The singer also had a flare-up in 2020, which she detailed in her 2022 documentary "Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me." Gomez struggles with other health issues, too, including small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and bipolar disorder. "My highs were really high, and my lows would take me out for weeks at a time ... I got on the right medication, and my life has been completely changed," Gomez said to the WSJ Magazine of her mental health journey.

Alan Rickman truly cared about his work. The late English actor became a household name early in his career thanks to his work as Hans Gruber in "Die Hard." Later in his career, however, he gained an entirely new fanbase after he was cast as Professor Severus Snape in the screen adaptations of the "Harry Potter" series. Rickman received widespread praise for his work, with many finding him to be the perfect choice to portray the character. And Rickman clearly cared about the role, too — the star played Snape in all eight films in the series, even acting through a cancer diagnosis.

Rickman was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2005. He kept the news private, and because it was aggressive and required intense measures to treat it, he considered backing out of the "Harry Potter" franchise. However, Rickman eventually decided to continue with the role. In a diary entry published posthumously, fans got insight into his decision and what life was like for Rickman on set while he was sick. "Finally, yes to HP 5. The sensation is neither up nor down. The argument that wins is the one that says: 'See it through. It's your story,'" Rickman wrote of his decision, as published by The Guardian. Rickman died in 2016 of cancer, making him another one of the "Harry Potter" stars who've sadly passed away, and it was then that the public became aware of his illness.

The stunning Cobie Smulders has used her experience with cancer to raise awareness for other women. In 2015, in an interview with Women's Health, Smulders shared publicly for the first time that she had ovarian cancer when she was 25. Smulders noted that she had tumors on both of her ovaries and that the cancer had spread. After two years of various surgeries, doctors managed to remove the cancer from Smulders' body. In 2015, Smulders had been in remission for five years. Despite the good news, cancer was still on Smulders' mind. "I don't think I'll ever feel like I'm cancer-free ... I'm trying to think of it as a positive thing and what can I learn from it. And if I can create more awareness, I'll do it," she said.

Smulders is still dedicated to the fight against ovarian cancer. In 2018, she shared a PSA through the Associated Press to raise awareness of the Not On My Watch campaign, which encourages women with recurrent ovarian cancer to be proactive in their health care. In 2020, Smulders talked about ovarian cancer in another video, telling others, "Together, we will continue to raise awareness, promote early detection, increase education, and support funding to help eradicate ovarian cancer."

Avril Lavigne is known for being bold and confident, but she's had moments of difficulty, too. In 2018, Lavigne revealed via an open letter to her fans that she had been diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2015. The singer shared that she had spent the years prior at home trying to recover, and she thought the sickness was going to kill her. "I felt like I was drowning. Like I was going underwater and I just needed to come up for air. Like I was in a river being pulled in a current. Unable to breathe," Lavigne said, as reported by The Independent.

In an interview with Billboard, Lavigne opened up further about Lyme disease, explaining what was happening to her body because of it and what the treatment consisted of. "It's a bug — a spirochete — so you take these antibiotics, and they start killing it," she said. "But it's a smart bug: It morphs into a cystic form, so you have to take other antibiotics at the same time. It went undiagnosed for so long that I was kind of f***ed." Lavigne still mentions her Lyme disease diagnosis periodically, but for the most part she's back to business as usual, writing and recording music and going on tour.

Norm Macdonald died in September of 2021 after having cancer for a long time. Per his friend and producing partner Lori Jo Hoekstra, he comedian hadn't wanted to share his diagnosis while he was living because he wanted the focus to be on his comedic work. "He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him. Norm was a pure comic. He once wrote that 'a joke should catch someone by surprise, it should never pander.' He certainly never pandered," Hoekstra told Deadline.

Macdonald certainly kept his life focused on comedy. While he was being treated for leukemia, Macdonald recorded one final stand-up performance, which turned into the Netflix special "Nothing Special," and included commentary from David Letterman, Dave Chappelle, Molly Shannon, Conan O'Brien, David Spade, and Adam Sandler after watching the performance. The experience was meaningful to the group of comedians, especially those who were close friends with Macdonald. "I felt this kind of joy that Norm's back, to be honest with you. I felt like he's here with us. Isn't this a nice gift to get to be with Norm some more," O'Brien said, per The Washington Post. Macdonald's death still stings for O'Brien. "Selfishly, I don't feel badly for Norm. I feel badly for all of us," he said.

Many people who are diagnosed with a serious illness cite work as one of their respites, a way to focus on something other than a prognosis and treatment. That must've been the case for Michael C. Hall, the star of "Dexter." Hall learned he had Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer that targets the immune system, while he was filming the fourth season of the bygone drama series. The actor kept his diagnosis private and began treatment when he was finished filming, intending to wear a wig to film the fifth season after losing his hair and keeping his illness a secret from the public.

Hall decided against that as he had to make a public appearance and figured his hair loss would be pretty noticeable. So in 2010, just before the Golden Globes, the actor announced his diagnosis and that he was in remission, and he arrived at the awards ceremony wearing a hat to cover his bald head. Sharing his diagnosis proved to be positive for Hall. "I'm glad I did, because I really underestimated how much that would be a source of inspiration or strength to other people. Just to see someone who you know and spend time watching, who goes through the treatment process successfully, is of value," Hall told The Guardian.