Julia Louis-Dreyfus Shares Major Reason Why She Had To Announce Her Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Comedienne Julia Louis-Dreyfus never intended to make her breast cancer diagnosis public. Yet, circumstances forced her to change her mind, and the decision became one of the most defining moments of her career.

In an interview on the Good Hang podcast, hosted by her long-time friend Amy Poehler, the Veep star was praised her for revealing her illness even though she did not have to. Poehler told her that sharing the news was 'very helpful for a lot of people.'

The 64-year-old actress admitted that she initially planned to keep her health condition a secret. But being the lead in HBO's hit political satire sitcom meant her silence was not an option.

'Well, I was kind of backed into a corner on that one, because we had to shut our show down,' she said. 'It's funny how that worked out, because normally I would not have done that. I'm very private.'

Reason for Going Public

Louis-Dreyfus explained that when she realised that the shooting for Veep would be suspended to allow her to focus on her treatment, she realised that the show's entire cast and crew would also have to stop working.

'So I had to make a public thing about it,' she explained.

While she initially felt forced to tell the world about her illness, she now views the decision positively. She added that she was glad to be able to influence others going through the same journey.

'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,' Louis-Dreyfus added.

The Seinfield alum also shared that there is something unexplainably comforting about being able to share despite the 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,' she said.

Louis-Dreyfus' Cancer Journey

The Emmy Award-winning actress announced on 28 September 2017 that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her announcement came in a now-deleted Twitter post shared by Forbes. She uploaded an image of a note on her personal stationery that read:

'1 in 8 women get breast cancer. Today, I'm the one. The good news is that I have the most glorious group of supportive and caring family and friends, and fantastic insurance through my union. The bad news is that not all women are so lucky, so let's fight all cancers and make universal health care a reality. - Julia'

She revealed that she learned about her condition the day after accepting her Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Vice President Selina Meyer in Veep.

HBO confirmed that the show will conclude with its seventh season, shortly after Louis-Dreyfus's cancer diagnosis. The network expressed its support for the actress at that time, telling Fox News, 'Our love and support go out to Julia and her family at this time. We have every confidence she will get through this with her usual tenacity and undaunted spirit, and look forward to her return to health and to HBO for the final season of "Veep."'

On 18 October 2018, the actress appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live and announced that she was cancer free. 'Everything is good. I'm back to work at Veep, which is amazing. I feel very strong,' she said.