Julia Louis-Dreyfus found out she had breast cancer one day after winning an Emmy, her sixth consecutive for playing Selina Meyer on Veep and eighth overall for acting. Julia announced her diagnosis in 2017, and is now Julia sharing more about the moment when she got the call that day six years ago. While appearing with journalist David Remnick at the 2023 New Yorker Festival last Friday, Julia spoke candidly about the way she responded to her doctor over the phone, and also described the powerful memory she said got her through the treatment that followed.
“I started laughing. Well, because the night before, I had won an Emmy. And so, I came downstairs and … the Emmy was there. It was like on the dining room table. I’m coming down to get coffee. My cell phone rings, and it’s my doctor saying, ‘Guess what, you have cancer,’” she recalled.
“And I’m like, ‘Huh? What?’ And so, it was a very bizarre juxtaposition,” she continued “And, of course, I did laugh, and then I became hysterical, crying, because I was terrified, as most people are, or as all people are if they get a diagnosis like that.”
She said she was fortunate to have her family rally around her as she began to navigate the unknown. “I have a very strong and supportive family, and for which I am eternally grateful, upon whom I relied — sisters, husband, my sons, my mother, my mothers, my stepmother, everybody,” she said.
Still, she continued, “I was deeply terrified because who wouldn’t be? I mean, all the tropes are true. You know, you get that call and it’s like, ‘What, me? No, no, no.’ I mean, you can’t imagine that something like that would happen to you.”
To get through her grueling chemotherapy sessions, Louis-Dreyfus told Remnick she focused on a memory of a particularly unnerving moment from her past to motivate her.
“I’ve said it before, but many, many years ago, I was on a boat with my husband. I was swimming in the water. He came to the bow of the boat and he said, ‘Jules, I don’t want you to panic, but there’s a shark in the water, so you need to come back.’ And I was far away from the boat,” she explained.
“And so, I just saw the ladder and I started swimming towards it, and I made the decision not to look around me at all. I was just going to stay looking at the ladder. And that very much applied to how I got through my cancer adventure — was sort of looking at the ladder. Just let’s get this done, let’s get there.”
Ok, first of all, I hope her doctor didn’t actually say “Guess what, you have cancer,” but that’s just Julia’s way of highlighting the absurdity of going from Emmy win to breast cancer overnight. But I do appreciate the license she takes for storytelling purposes, because the way she recalls the moment is so vivid I felt like I could see each moment happening. The confusion to laughter to hysteria to tears (a trajectory you know she could act the sh*t out of, by the way). And while she mentioned speaking about the shark story before, it was new to me, and holy cow was that a powerful image. Again I find Julia’s language incredibly cinematic. It wasn’t her inclination to be public with her cancer diagnosis, but she’s given great comfort to others by sharing the many facets of her personal experience.
To end on a selfish note: I miss Veep so much. Julia said it was freeing to play Selina Meyer — it was also freeing to watch her! But I guess what I also miss is when it was just a funny show on Max (née HBO) and not, you know, our actual politicians.
Photos credit: Faye’s Vision/Cover Images, MediaPunch/Backgrid and Getty
My cancer diagnosis was delivered in a super covid-y ER in May 2020 in NJ. I was dropped off (alone, because no one but patients allowed in ER during those days), subjected to blood and urine tests and x-rays and a bone marrow biopsy (0/10 don’t recommend!). My (heavily pregnant) oncologist said: “Your kidneys have failed. I am admitting you to the hospital. You have multiple myeloma. I am starting you on chemotherapy tonight.” and left the ER. I was sitting there yelling back “Chemo? Multiple Myeloma? Do I have CANCER???”. To be fair, it usually takes MONTHS to diagnose that particular cancer AND I was (unknowingly) at death’s door, but talk about a shock! The med tech in the ER came in and told me “3 people have died of covid in the ER since you arrived. Cancer is bad, but at least we have some idea how to treat it, consider yourself lucky.” Dude was right, and set my head straight from the very get-go.
I got my diagnosis first by letter which I’ve always been sort of glad about.
It was a referral to my now consultant saying it was ‘highly likely I had light chain myeloma’. I’d been expecting it for about two weeks but seeing the words, or rather hearing them as my mom opened the letter and phoned me, hit me like a bus.
Three days later I had the official diagnosis and was already in ‘what’s the plan mode’ much to the confusion of my consultant who waiting for tears and shock.
Nearly 5 years later and I’m frequently asked to chat to newly diagnosed myeloma patients, especially anyone under 50, at my unit.
I refer to it as the ‘we know it’s scary but this one has a really aggressive version and we’ve kept her alive’ chat. My consultant does not 😂
Maples! A fellow myeloma patient!!! And another with the aggressive version! I am 2.5 years in remission post tandem stem cell transplant and feel fortunate but am still ensuring all my affairs are in order. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me! Stay strong my sister in arms!!
I went to the gyno for painful periods. She said she needed to check my hormones for PCOS and I asked if she could do a full panel bc I hadnt seen a PCP in years. They called me a week later, I was in the parking lot about to enter the business I own. They said my white blood cells were over a million and I needed to see a hematologist immediately- they had already referred me to one and made the appointment. I googled “hematologist” while on the call and that’s when I found out I had cancer. Turns out I was 6 months away from being “very sick or worse” with chronic myeloid leukemia that was nearing the advanced stage. My gyno saved my life, if she had refused the bloodwork I would never have gone to a PCP as I was 37 and in great health with no symptoms other than being tired, but since I had an 18 month old, who wouldn’t be tired? This was July 2020.
You are all so strong. I am in awe.
This. Whole. Thread. 👆🏼
I had my phone call while driving with my husband. My phone rang and I answered it and my doctor asked if it was a good time to talk because she had some results. I knew this could not be good. I remember pulling off the road as quickly as possible in a very pretty neighborhood. She told me I had breast cancer. I was numb throughout the call and when I hung up it was just surreal. Did this just happen? We continued the drive because we were picking up our grandson. It was a quiet drive until he got into the car and brought all his fun energy and then time seemed to move forward again. Whenever I drive by that neighborhood I remember that day but I’m grateful that all that I went through I’m still able to drive by that neighborhood. I miss Veep too. That was a truly funny show.
I appreciate her candor, outlook, AND the shark story. Having cancer is both scary and incredibly isolating. You’re facing death while the rest of the world skips along worrying about their dry cleaning or parking tickets. The treatments can be enormously grueling physically. Anyone who battles the Big C is a hero in my book, and I’ve tried to be as supportive and thoughtful as I can to my friends and family who’ve had it (too many).
I love the “just look at the ladder, get to the ladder” approach.
On another note, It could very well have been “guess what? You have cancer!”
I’ve had friends relate stories of how they got news from their doctors.
One who had strep when her regular doctor was away, and was dealing with another doctor she’d never met who was filling in, got a call after she’d had lab work … the Dr launched right in : “why didn’t you tell me you have diabetes?!!!! “ angry at her.
And that’s how my friend found out she had Type 2 diabetes. Her life changed forever and a strange doctor screamed the news at her, didn’t bother to check the chart and realize it was a new development.
Another friend got a call from the admin at her doctor’s office to set up a follow up appointment to talk about the cancerous tumor found on her recent scan. They left the message on her voicemail. That’s how she heard the news … someone just trying to put an appointment on her books, with no medical knowledge or compassion about what she’d just dumped on the person. My friend was so shaken calling back to set up the appointment, she could barely speak after hanging up the phone. That was bad enough…. and then…
A while later she sat with her husband and together they called and asked to speak to her doctor to get more details… he seemed completely confused about what she was asking … what was she talking about? Her scan was completely normal. Turns out, person who called had mixed up 2 different patient records and called the wrong number, blithely lobbing cancer diagnoses hither and yon. The doctor was like “never mind, you’re fine ha ha”
I would sue.
I’ve been having to go in for a mammogram every six months to monitor a cluster of calcifications. Each time I’m in excruciating fear for days or weeks in advance that I am going to get a doctor giving me that kind of bad news —so many women have a story just like Julia about that moment so we can all envision it. so far each time the radiologist ends up telling me that it’s “likely benign”—-but to come back in another six months. I wish that I could just have a biopsy and get any bad news over with or have the relief of confirmation nothing is wrong, but apparently my insurance doesn’t work that way.
@chaine I’m so glad that they are monitoring you closely. The way insurance companies are dictating the treatment and diagnostic methods we receive is nothing short of appalling. Would your insurance authorize an ultrasound? Or is there somewhere you can get a second opinion and perhaps different coding for a biopsy request?
I was in your shoes nine years ago. I also had micro-calcifications which as you know are most commonly benign but can also be a sign of early stage breast cancer.
After mammogram, ultra sound and MRI at Mayo Clinic. I was diagnosed with an an huge patch of aggressive Stage 0 which was likely to progress to invasive. So I took the surgical route and had bilateral mastectomy. Reconstructed using belly fat with amazing results and I am now whole and well and thankful it was caught at early stage.
I still have a meltdown before getting my annual physical so can only imagine how you are feeling. Please look after yourself and hang in there. 💕💕
Insurance companies! I had a complete meltdown with mine after they denied my endocrinologist’s request for a brain and abdomen MRI due to abnormal and pretty concerning blood test results. They said it was because the physician hasn’t sent over my medical records. I never had an insurance company (United, f them) need prior auths for literally anything (including an MRI on my ankle with documented ligament tears) so I proactively called the Endo to give them a heads up. Mind you the call I made was 5 days ago, so in that time they chose not to wait. Just deny. I flipped out and asked since when does some person I’ve never met get to weigh in on what I need and overrule my Dr recommendation, I’m not getting MRIs for fun, and now the process is getting delayed again the whole time I’m just sitting here wondering why my pituitary gland is malfunctioning and my estrogen has fallen to a red zone.
@emf99 Ty for the info. I did pay for an ultrasound out of pocket from one of those screening services and it didn’t see anything. Your story is so scary! Glad you got a diagnosis at an early stage. I guess I need to push harder for more options here.
Hysterical laughter immediately followed by crying is a normal and frequent trauma response. It doesn’t make sense on the surface, but the body has to release a LOT of stress in a short amount of time, and those two things do the trick. A lot of law enforcement misread hysterical laughter / crying as signs of false reporting of crimes unless they’ve been trained to recognize it as a very HIGH level of stress and trauma.
This site is one of my favorite sites, because of the smart writers and the equally smart commenters. I’ve always known both sets are sharp, aware and strong people, and the comments about receiving cancer diagnoses and getting through to the other side just cement this opinion. Stay strong and beautiful my fellow Celebitches! 💕
When I received my bladder cancer diagnosis (after being hospitalized for sepsis) I was glad my mother was there. After the word “cancer” all I could hear was all my blood rushing through my ears (like when you hold a seashell up to your ear) and nothing else. My mother was able to tell me everything the doctor said after that (though the doctor also repeated what he said when he saw me later as well).
I’m glad my mother was there but for a very different reason. She’s weird about medical information and is always convinced that we’re lying to her, withholding information, and downplaying the seriousness of it and she’ll argue that with us instead of listening to what we’re saying and what we need. So, when I told her I found a lump, I was accused of not telling her all sorts of stuff, even though I hadn’t even seen a doctor or had a mammogram yet. We did a lumpectomy and the surgeon, my primary care, and I agreed that my primary care doctor would give me the results 3 days later because I had my annual physical scheduled and she would remove the bandages from the lumpectomy and inspect how it was healing. Mom drove me to the appointment – I was still on pain meds. We got through the basic annual physical stuff first and it was time to remove the bandages and give me the biopsy results. That’s when my doctor burst into tears. But she had all the information I would need ready, had already scheduled an appointment with an oncologist and another surgery for a lymph node biopsy. I felt totally numb and out of body. I then asked her if she would tell my mother. And she did. She brought my mother into the room, gave her the results, told her what my treatment options were, and answered her questions. She also told her how to treat me going forward because I just could not deal with her usual weird stuff and did not need the extra stress.
So glad your doctor was able to be there for you.
Thank you for writing about this. My best friend was diagnosed recently and we just found out it’s more malignant than at first thought/diagnosed. There’s a long road ahead, but we’re hopeful. Will be sharing this story with her today.
❤️
You’re all amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your stories. I’m bracing myself because “We found a large mass in your pelvic ultrasound” just happened. I’m staying positive and preparing myself for the diagnostic process.
Wishing you best of luck Blueberry…xo
Thank you Jaded & Bysynaptic💞
Best wishes!
I remember getting my breast cancer diagnosis in September of 2016. I’d just moved across the country a couple of moths before to be with the love of my life, everything was wonderful, then I found a lump in my breast. There was a medical clinic across the street from our condo so I booked an appointment, got sent for a mammo and biopsy, 10 days later I went back to the clinic for the results. The look on the doctor’s face said it all. I only had to walk across the street to our condo but I honestly didn’t think I’d make it — I felt like I was going to faint, vomit and burst into tears all at once. Yes, all the tropes are true, it’s the type of shock you’ve never felt before. But a devoted partner and good medical care got me through it.
Blessings to all you CBers who have been through similar experiences. Proof positive that women ARE the stronger sex.
You all are so brave and extraordinary women. I had to stop reading because I’m in the office and sobbing. Love blessings and prayers for all of you
Wishing everyone here who went/is going through cancer the best. My mother had breast cancer and my sister had cancer in fallopian tubes. So I didn’t bother with the genetic testing, I went straight for the mastectomy/Salpingo-oophorectomy and never looked back (I also had dense breast tissue and needed to get ultrasounds in additional annual mammograms, so my stress was always high). What is absolutely unfair is that not every woman would have been able to do what I did, for financial reasons. Why do we pay for Viagra but not surgery that can save a life? Yes, I could have done the genetic testing first, but if it came back that I didn’t qualify, I would have been in the same boat. So if it wasn’t genetic, was it environmental? I shared the same environment as my mother (as did my sister) for decades. I STILL would have wanted the surgery. But if I had been poor, I wouldn’t have been able to have it, and I find that disgusting. This is not plastic surgery to look younger, this is surgery to prevent a terrible death. I mean, even vets recommend having your dog spayed to reduce the risk of cancer, but women aren’t allowed the same consideration?
On a happier note, I LOVED Veep, and wish they would do a reunion show. Julia was so great in it, she deserved every single Emmy.
I got genetic testing because my mom died of cancer and it came back clear. No genetic disposition to it. Yay! But then they told me I still have to go in for testing because there are other factors involved. Boo! It was maybe 3 minutes of relief. Ha! Back to where I started.
I found out I had breast cancer 3 months after having a craniotomy to remove a brain tumor. I don’t think it was nearly as shocking as the call I got on one Saturday morning to let me know I had a brain tumor. I also don’t think it was as much of a shock to my system as hearing that my brother had accidentally died, then a few years later that another brother had shot himself, then a decade later learning that my sister-in-law was killed by a drunk driver. It’s subjective. I hope that no one ever has to hear ANY of these things.
Oooph. Best wishes for a gentler ride, from now on.