Julia Louis-Dreyfus Felt ‘Backed Into a Corner’ to Share Cancer Diagnosis

Years after being diagnosed with breast cancer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is reflecting on her decision to share her health battle publicly.

“You shared with the world when you were treating your cancer, your breast cancer. And it was very helpful for a lot of people. It isn’t something you needed to share. You did,” host Amy Poehler said on the Tuesday, December 9, episode of her “Good Hang” podcast.

Louis-Dreyfus, 64, replied, “Well, I was kind of backed into a corner on that one because we had to shut our show down. It’s funny how that worked out because normally I would not have done that. I’m very private.”

Louis-Dreyfus explained that Veep was shut down for a year due to her health battle, noting that “250 people weren’t going to be working, or whatever it is.” (She starred as Selina Meyer on the series, which aired on HBO from 2012 to 2019.)

“So I had to make a public thing about it,” Louis-Dreyfus said. “But the good thing about doing that was that I did have this incredible experience of people reaching out to me, asking me about my experience going through the breast cancer, for advice and I was able to help.”

She continued, “There was something unbelievably comforting about being able to do that on the other side of this trauma. There is a lot to be said in self-soothing by soothing others. For real. I don’t mean to sound all Pollyannaish. I actually think it’s true.”

The Seinfeld alum was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer in September 2017. One year later, she announced she was in remission after undergoing a double mastectomy and six rounds of chemotherapy.

Throughout chemotherapy treatment, Louis-Dreyfus “totally” had moments where her loved ones supported her by making her laugh. At one point, Louis-Dreyfus was “high as a kite” while wearing a “cold cap” — which she described as a “weirdly shaped turban” on her head.

“Everybody is around me making fun. And it was a dream,” Louis-Dreyfus said on the podcast.

The actress recalled another time she asked her friends to shop for jeans because she had “lost so much weight” and “none of [her] clothes fit.” She added, “It was fun. It was hilarious.”

Five years after her diagnosis, Louis-Dreyfus opened up about finding out the news — which happened after she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance on Veep. After she hung up the phone with her doctor, Louis-Dreyfus started laughing.

“I mean, it felt like it was written,” she told WSJ. Magazine in 2023. “It felt like it was a horrible black comedy. And then it sort of morphed into crying hysterically.”

Louis-Dreyfus admitted she was terrified by the diagnosis. “You just simply don’t consider it for yourself, you know, that’s sort of the arrogance of human beings,” she said. “But of course, at some point, we’re all going to bite it.”

In the years that have followed, Louis-Dreyfus has begun “living more mindfully.” She added, “It’s not like it’s yakking at me all the time, but there’s more laser focus.”