Note: We are reissuing this story that first made headlines in September 2024.
Aging is a common experience, yet Ellen DeGeneres is grabbing attention for her unique perspective on it.
The beloved comedian, now 66 years old, utilized her final stand-up special on Netflix, For Your Approval, to reveal a number of medical diagnoses she received after stepping back from daytime television. DeGeneres shared with her audience that she has been diagnosed with osteoporosis, arthritis, OCD, and ADHD—conditions she claims she was unaware of until her life slowed down after The Ellen DeGeneres Show concluded.
DeGeneres elaborated that these diagnoses came only after she exited her talk-show empire in 2020, amidst a media frenzy over allegations that she maintained a “toxic” workplace. With the cameras turned off and time to reflect, she finally consulted her doctors—and the findings, she says, were quite surprising.
The former talk-show host revealed that she learned she has “full-blown osteoporosis,” a condition that weakens bones and raises the risk of fractures. She humorously recounted discovering this after undergoing what she called a “silly bone density test.”
“Honestly, I don’t even know how I’m standing right now,” she joked with the audience. “I’m basically a sandcastle with legs. One strong shower and I might just wash away.”
As if that wasn’t enough, her doctors also informed her that she has arthritis. DeGeneres remembered feeling a sudden, intense pain and initially thinking she had seriously hurt herself. Instead, the doctors explained that it was merely age catching up with her.
“I asked how I ended up with arthritis, and the doctor simply said, ‘It happens at your age,’” she quipped, eliciting laughter at her own expense.
DeGeneres confessed that being open about aging is challenging in an industry that prioritizes appearance. “It’s tough to be honest about getting older and still come across as cool,” she shared with her audience.
However, her physical health was not the only issue she addressed. DeGeneres also disclosed that she was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder during her therapy sessions, as she worked through the significant backlash she faced amid the controversy surrounding her show.
She shared that she had been undergoing therapy to manage the intense negativity directed at her. “It wasn’t exactly a typical case for a therapist.”
She confessed that when her therapist first brought up OCD, she misinterpreted the diagnosis. “I told her I was very organized and thought that was the ‘O,'” she recalled. “I had no clue what OCD truly meant.”
DeGeneres elaborated that her religious background—growing up in Christian Science—led her family to seldom discuss illness or mental health. In hindsight, she recognizes that her father likely struggled with OCD as well. “He would check everything—door locks, faucets, appliances—repeatedly. They say it can run in families.”
After her therapist suggested the possibility of OCD, DeGeneres inquired with her wife, Portia de Rossi, about her thoughts on the matter. De Rossi responded without hesitation: “Yes, you do.”
As always, DeGeneres employed humor to soften her disclosures. She joked that her ADHD makes it nearly impossible to remain still long enough to complete a full comedy special.
“My ADD makes concentrating a nightmare,” she joked. “You have no idea how challenging it was for me to put this show together. Actually, you wouldn’t know that. Why would I even ask that?”
She concluded the segment with a humorous remark that her combination of OCD, ADHD, and memory lapses might actually balance each other out. “I’m obsessive, but I’m also easily distracted and forget what I’m obsessing about,” she noted. “So in a strange way, it all cancels out—and I come out pretty well-adjusted.
Sources: New York Post
