14 Famous Celebrities Managing Type 2 Diabetes

In general, celebrities are hesitant to talk openly about their medical conditions. However, there are those that are determined to raise plenty of awareness for their disease.

Here are 15 famous people and celebrities who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes:

Tom Hanks

Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks voiced that he has type 2 diabetes with former Late Show host David Letterman in October 2013 when he pointed out his newly slim figure. When he was 36, he already had high sugar levels before he was diagnosed. The actor also had to gain and lose weight for a few movie roles, such as gaining 30 pounds to play Jimmy Dugan in the movie League of their Own in 1992 and lost approximately 50 pounds for his role in Cast Away in 2000.

Paula Deen

The Celebrity Chef professed her diabetes diagnosis in 2012, at 64. But, before her diagnosis, many have speculated that she had type 2 diabetes. Experts have supposed that a diet change would be hard for Deen since she’s popular for making calorie-loaded Southern dishes. However, she stepped away from using so much butter in her dishes and was able to lose some of her weight. 

Randy Jackson

This music producer and judge of American Idol said that his diagnosis of diabetes was a game changer for him in 2003. He took some radical lifestyle changes, such as eating healthy and regular exercise. He also went through a gastric bypass, which resulted in him losing around 100 pounds. Jackson also became a spokesperson for Merck’s Taking Diabetes to Heart awareness campaign. He then wrote a book entitled Body with Soul, which is a memoir mixed with health advice on how one should take control of their body in the face of health issues like diabetes.