Living with Crohn’s disease means the sudden onset of debilitating symptoms like pain, diarrhea, and fatigue. Nearly 1 in 100 Americans have been diagnosed with an inflammatory bowel disease like Crohn’s. Even celebrities aren’t immune from the challenges of living with this chronic condition. Singers, actors, comedians, and athletes have all dealt with the painful and sometimes debilitating symptoms in the public eye.
Here are nine celebrities who have coped with Crohn’s disease, and some of their activism that has helped bring a spotlight to the subject.
1
Pete Davidson, Comedian
The Saturday Night Live (SNL) cast member has been open about his struggles with Crohn’s disease since being diagnosed at age 17. Despite trying a range of medications, Davidson has attributed smoking marijuana (cannabis) as one of the few things that would settle his stomach enough to eat and perform on SNL.
“Weed would be the only thing that would help me eat,” Davidson told High Times. “I wouldn’t be able to do SNL if I didn’t smoke weed.”
This is just anecdotal evidence for Davidson, but some studies suggest that smoking cannabis may be associated with improved IBD symptoms, such as nausea, pain, and decreased appetite. However, there’s no evidence yet that it can improve Crohn’s disease activity or calm inflammation. More studies are needed in this area and are currently underway.
Davidson mentioned his struggles with Crohn’s disease in his film The King of Staten Island. He’s also appeared on Hot Ones, a YouTube talk show featuring interviews with celebrities while eating spicy wings, twice by himself and once afterward alongside actor Bill Murray. “Last time, I was doing so poorly, he [Sean Evans, the host] excused me from the last wing,” Davidson told Murray in an episode released in March 2025. “There were some medical concerns because of my Crohn’s disease.”
2
MrBeast, YouTuber
Popular YouTube personality Jimmy Donaldson has been open about his struggles with Crohn’s disease on his YouTube channel MrBeast, which has more than 424 million subscribers. In a video posted to his channel in 2015, Donaldson talked about how diet helps regulate his Crohn’s symptoms, and how it even affects going out with his friends.
“A lot of times, I can’t get out of going to a fast food restaurant, like when we stop after sports games … . I’m far away from my medicine, and I can’t really afford to cheat,” Donaldson said. “So, I’ll bring my own food, and I’ll be sitting at McDonald’s eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”
While not the most popular videos on his channel, which includes survival challenges, Donaldson said that he made videos about his life with Crohn’s to reach out to others who may have questions about their own symptoms. Donaldson has also spoken about his experience using the immunosuppressive drug Remicade (infliximab) to help treat his symptoms.
Donaldson recently opened up again about his journey with Crohn’s in an episode of The Diary Of a CEO podcast, hosted by British entrepreneur and investor Steven Barlett. “When I was 15, I just started going to the bathroom 8, 9, 10 times a day, not digesting any food because my GI tract is literally just attacking itself. It’s very weird,” said Donaldson, now 27. “I lost 50 pounds, which is crazy because I was already relatively lanky.”
3
Kathleen Baker, Olympic Swimmer
If regular activities sound difficult for people living with Crohn’s disease, imagine trying to swim at a competitive level when getting diagnosed as a 12-year-old national champion, shortly before her 13th birthday.
“When I was diagnosed, I literally felt like my entire world was over,” Baker told Jon Evans, anchor and assistant news director with WECT News in Wilmington, North Carolina, in the 1on1 With Jon Evans podcast. “I look back on that self, I’m 13 years old, and for me, I wanted to be an Olympic swimmer then. I was like, ‘I’m going to do it, I’m going to give everything to this sport!’ and I felt like, ‘Why me? Why would I get this? Why wouldn’t this happen to someone who didn’t care as much about their sport?’ I was willing to sacrifice anything for it, like sleepovers, going to football games, moving, whatever it was.”
Baker had to battle stomach cramps, severe weight loss, nausea, and more. But she made it through it all, eventually earning the silver medal in the 100-meter backstroke at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and helping Team USA to gold in the 4x100 medley relay, and once holding the 100-meter world backstroke record.
Baker has since become a role model for young swimmers like her and has advocated for finding the best doctor to treat your symptoms and finding doctors who support your goals.
“I found doctors who weren’t going to be just like, ‘‘You’re Kathleen with Crohn’s disease.’ I need to be Kathleen the swimmer with Crohn’s disease,” Baker told The New York Times.
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4
Big Swole, Wrestler
Independent wrestler Aerial Hull, better known as Big Swole, is a self-described “Crohnie” who released a statement on her X (formerly Twitter) page in 2021 describing her battle with the disease during the pandemic.
“I was informed that resuming my medicine for Crohn's would result in death given the COVID-19 circumstances,” wrote Swole. “I was doing alright self-managing until the flare-ups started in the fall. As some of you may not know, Crohn's attacks the body as a whole, so on top of my intestines issues, different body parts would lock up and become incapable of bending at the joints.”
Crohn’s disease has disrupted Swole’s life multiple times, and doctors had trouble diagnosing her in 2019. She was able to get it correctly diagnosed and controlled before appearing in the inaugural All Out professional wrestling pay-per-view event.
5
Perfume Genius, Singer
Singer Mike Hadreas, who goes by the stage name Perfume Genius, has spoken about his battle with Crohn’s, conveying the heavy toll the symptoms have on him.
“It’s not a cute disease. I’m essentially just bleeding. I have lots of open wounds in my intestines. It’s just your body betraying you,” Hadreas told The Fader.
While others were dealing with COVID-19, Hadreas told SF Weekly that his Crohn’s Disease flared up during the pandemic, which stymied the creative growth he was experiencing that led to his fifth album, Set My Heart on Fire Immediately.
“I felt like I was finally in control of my body and that was incredibly liberating,” Hadreas told SF Weekly. “And then, that was taken away from me. It was scary to be sick and then it was scary to go on medication for that sickness, which made me more at risk for other things.”
While Set My Heart on Fire Immediately, released on May 15, 2020, was about healing, Hadreas has written about how the disease affects him both physically and mentally in multiple songs over his five-album discography, exploring the limitations a person’s body can have.
6
Audra McDonald, Broadway Star
The six-time Tony Award–winning actress and singer has taken to Twitter over the years to talk about Crohn’s disease, according to Girls With Guts, a nonprofit that supports women and girls with IBD, ostomies, or both.
In November 2020, McDonald, along with other Broadway stars who suffer from inflammatory bowel diseases, performed at the virtual benefit concert for the Greater New York Chapter of Crohn's and Colitis Foundation's "The Great Gutsby," which was held virtually due to the pandemic.
7
Mike McCready, Rock Star
The lead guitarist for Pearl Jam has tirelessly advocated for Crohn’s disease. McCready has worked with the northwest chapter of Crohn's and Colitis Foundation to promote awareness, share his story, and raise funds to find a cure for the disease.
“Some of the challenges I’ve had were having accidents on stage and having extreme pain playing in front a bunch of people and being in tour buses and traveling around the world and having to know where a bathroom is all the time,” McCready told Michael Osso, the president and CEO of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, in a 2020 video interview.
McCready has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation over the many years he has been the national spokesperson for the foundation.
8
David Garrard, NFL Quarterback
David Garrard, the former quarterback for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, had a foot of his intestine removed because of Crohn's disease.
In 2004, when he began having stomach pains after meals, Garrad told The New York Times that he believed he just had a stomach bug and waited three months to seek help. He described his symptoms as "the most excruciating pain that I have ever felt." But after some extreme weight loss, he went to get tested and was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. To battle the disease he opted for surgery and a maintenance drug.
Garrad has been active in the Crohn’s community. He has raised money for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation and established the David Garrard Foundation, which was designed to help single mothers with breast cancer and young children who have Crohn’s disease.
9
Cynthia McFadden, News Anchor
Cynthia McFadden has been open about her journey with Crohn’s disease. Formerly the senior legal and investigative correspondent for NBC News, McFadden was first diagnosed with Crohn’s in 1977 and had a significant portion of her intestine surgically removed.
McFadden has raised awareness about Crohn’s disease in many ways, including recording radio public service announcements and working with the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.
The Takeaway
- Celebrities like Pete Davidson, MrBeast, and Kathleen Baker illustrate that individuals can manage life with Crohn's disease and still pursue successful careers, offering hope for those with the condition.
- While some, like Pete Davidson, find symptomatic relief with methods like cannabis based on personal experience, it's important to consult a doctor before trying it (and other complementary therapies), as scientific evidence on cannabis's effect on Crohn’s is still inconclusive.
- With close follow-up with a gastroenterologist, ongoing research and a strong support system, it’s possible to live a fulfilling, active life despite the challenges of Crohn’s disease.
Resources We Trust
- Mayo Clinic: Crohn’s Disease: Symptoms & Causes
- Cleveland Clinic: Crohn’s Disease
- Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation: Community and Support
- UCSF Health: Nutrition Tips for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: Crohn’s Disease
Meet Our Experts
Yuying Luo, MD
Medical Reviewer
Yuying Luo, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine at Mount Sinai West and Morningside in New York City. She aims to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered, and holistic care for her patients.
Her clinical and research focus includes patients with disorders of gut-brain interaction such as irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia; patients with lower gastrointestinal motility (constipation) disorders and defecatory and anorectal disorders (such as dyssynergic defecation); and women’s gastrointestinal health.
She graduated from Harvard with a bachelor's degree in molecular and cellular biology and received her MD from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she was also chief resident. She completed her gastroenterology fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital and was also chief fellow.
Zachary Smith
Author
Zachary Smith is a data reporter specializing in health and climate for Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. He received his master's degree from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, where he studied health, climate, and data journalism. Smith has also reported for VICE UK, Food Bank News, Crain's New York, and local New York outlets. Before becoming a journalist, he worked in print production for magazine publishers. In his free time, he writes for A to Zagat, his New York City-centric restaurant blog about food culture, history, and trends.