Migraine in the Limelight: 25 Celebrities With Migraine

Almost nothing can disable you as quickly and completely as a migraine attack. Given how debilitating migraine is, it can be both surprising and encouraging to hear about celebrities with migraine who, with a mix of luck and skill, manage to be wildly successful while battling the disease. And who are better symbols of luck, skill, and wild success than top celebrities?

These famous people with migraine found success, fame, and fortune in one of the most difficult industries that exists — the entertainment industry. Considering many of the common symptoms of migraine — pounding headache, nausea and vomiting, sound and light sensitivity — managing this condition under fame’s bright lights is a feat. Many celebrities with migraine have used their public platforms to speak out about it.

Whether you’re famous or not, opening up about personal experiences with migraine not only makes you feel better yourself, but also can go a long way in reducing migraine stigma overall. Speaking out isn't easy, especially when you're in the public eye. We admire the stars who use their influence to spread awareness about migraine.

Some of the following stars have not spoken out publicly about their experiences with migraine. We’ve done our best to verify the facts, but celebrity reporting is notoriously rumor-laden. Please keep that in mind — and let us know if we got something wrong.

Top Film and Television Stars With Migraine

1. Kristin Chenoweth, actor

Kristin Chenoweth is an Emmy- and Tony-winning actor who can be found on film, television, and the stage. She suffered for years with the debilitating disease and feared she would have to give up her career. Chenoweth told News Hub, “I thought I would have to retire because spotlights are everywhere in my business and being on stage can trigger a migraine.”

She managed to get her migraine attacks under control with two major tools: Botox and baths for stress relief.

2. Whoopi Goldberg, actor and comedian

Whoopi Goldberg didn’t let migraine attacks keep her from a long, successful career in comedy.

Despite dealing with migraine, Goldberg is among a small group of artists who have won a Grammy, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and a Tony award.

In 2014, she wrote a column (full of humor, of course) about her use of medical marijuana to relieve migraine and glaucoma-induced headaches. She writes, “These glaucoma-induced headaches come on like freight trains — like, BOOM, my head starts hurting, my eyes start bugging, my whole body starts to tense up.

“But then I find [my vaporizer], and it relaxes everything and calms everything. It helps my head stop hurting, and, with glaucoma, your eyes ache, and she takes the ache out. It's wonderful.”

3. Hugh Jackman, actor

As Wolverine in the X-Men movies, actor Hugh Jackman looks invincible. Even Wolverine is no match for migraine, though. IMDB reported that Jackman once missed meeting former British Prime Minister Tony Blair because he was sick with a migraine attack. Jackman told a British magazine, “I remember having a migraine when Tony Blair came to see Oklahoma! I was going into the wings and throwing up whenever I was offstage, and afterward, Tony Blair came backstage to meet the cast, and, of course, I was throwing up.” Poor Hugh.

4. Marcia Cross, actor

Marcia Cross battled chronic migraine for 10 years before finding relief. Like many other celebrities who have migraine — and nonfamous people with migraine — migraine attacks interfered with her career. In an interview with Lifescript, Cross said, “Being on the set is challenging as it is, but having a migraine and trying to work was impossible for me.

“I became nauseous and my vision was affected, besides the terrible pain in my head. One of my colleagues had to drive me home from the studio.”

Through diet changes, regular exercise, and a healthy sleep pattern, Marcia Cross was able to defeat the chronic migraine beast. She didn’t leave the migraine world completely, though — she went on to become a spokesperson for Imitrex.

5. Ben Affleck, actor, writer, and producer

Ben Affleck has been a household name in the United States since at least 1997 when he cowrote and starred in Good Will Hunting, which won him an Oscar. He reportedly experiences migraine, and in 2006 it was widely reported that he spent Memorial Day in the hospital recovering from a particularly intense migraine attack.

6. Virginia Madsen, actor

As a 30-year veteran of television and movies, actor Virginia Madsen is comfortable in Hollywood. But regular migraine attacks were impacting her career and interfering with her job as a mother. She told Lifescript that Botox injections for migraine were the treatment that finally brought her relief. She said, “It was nothing short of miraculous because [the frequent migraine attacks] were gone.” Madsen then went on to become a spokesperson for Botox.

7. Elle Macpherson, supermodel and actor

Australian-born Elle Macpherson made a name for herself as a model, appearing on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue five times since the 1980s. As an actor, she’s had several supporting roles in both film and television. While she hasn’t spoken publicly about migraine, it has been reported repeatedly that she battles the disease. In 2014, British newspaper Belfast Telegraph reported that Macpherson swears by drinking plenty of water to stave off migraine attacks.

8. Lisa Kudrow, actor

Before she became famous as Phoebe on the sitcom Friends, Lisa Kudrow experienced childhood migraine. Luckily for her, her migraine attacks eased up as she got older. Even luckier, Kudrow’s dad specialized in headache medicine, so she had prime access to medical care.

9. Jennifer Morrison, actor

Jennifer Morrison didn’t get her first migraine until she was already an adult — and a successful actor. She has spoken up to help raise awareness about migraine. Morrison told CBS, “I started getting migraines about three years ago, and I wasn’t aware that what I was having was actually a migraine because I was confused by the symptoms. So when I heard there was a possibility for bringing awareness to what exactly a migraine was and what we could do to help prevent them, I was like, ‘I’m in.’”

10. James Cromwell, actor and producer

James Cromwell’s IMDB page lists a whopping 178 credits as an actor. Cromwell has starred in a wide range of films and television series, including Babe, The Green Mile, and Six Feet Under. Cromwell managed a highly successful and prolific career, all while battling migraine.

Although he has not spoken publicly about his migraine attacks, Cromwell is one of several famous male stars reported to have the condition. Migraine is often incorrectly seen as affecting only women, and men with migraine can encounter even deeper stigma.

11. Sharon Stone, actor

In 2012, actor Sharon Stone was struck by a severe migraine attack during one of the most glamorous events: Milan Fashion Week.

The attack was so bad that she was rushed to the hospital for treatment, which luckily worked.

Trips to the emergency room aren’t the only scary severe migraine events Stone has dealt with, unfortunately.

She once mistook a brain aneurysm for a migraine attack.

She warns people with migraine to pay attention to their migraine episodes and seek medical treatment if you experience an attack that feels different than usual.

12. Whitney Cummings, comedian, writer, and producer

The hilarious Whitney Cummings was the celebrity guest for the 2020 Migraine World Summit live event in New York.

“I’ve experienced migraine attacks since childhood and know how it can often be dismissed by others, especially since migraine tends to affect women more frequently,” she said. “I always thought I MUST be ‘crazy’ or ‘dramatic’ for always having a headache and other migraine symptoms, but it’s time to stop minimizing and normalizing pain.”

13. Serena Williams, tennis player

In August 2020, the tennis champion became a spokesperson for migraine medication UBRELVY. “I’ve always had migraines, but I don’t think I realized what they were until I was in my twenties,” she said in a promotional video for the medication.

Serena Williams knows as clearly as we do that migraine is more than just a headache. “I remember being younger and having to stop training, and I would always complain to my mom that I have a headache, but I never actually connected that it was a migraine. If you have knee pain, it’s something that you can see, or if you’re sick and you’re coughing, people say to stay home. It’s different with migraine. People are like, ‘You have to leave work because you have a headache? It’s not that big of a deal.’ This is a horrible situation to be in when you’re doing your job.”

14. Terrell Davis, football player

The former Denver Broncos running back has shared that he has suffered from migraine for many years. In one interview, Terrell Davis talked about a migraine attack he had during the 1998 Super Bowl. At the start of the game, he realized he forgot to take his migraine medication and returned to the locker room for it. However, it was too late — he started experiencing migraine symptoms midway through the game and had to rest during the second quarter.

After experiencing the attack at the game, Davis decided to use his platform to help others who suffer from migraine attacks. During his induction speech into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August 2017, he told the audience how he experienced nausea, headaches, and temporary blindness as a 9-year-old.

After years of searching, Davis finally found a migraine treatment that worked for him. He uses a combination of preventive medication, healthy diet, and CBD to manage his migraine.

“It’s one of those things men are not comfortable talking about,” Davis said onstage at the 2019 Migraine World Summit. “I see more guys talking about it now, but it’s not a lot. It wasn’t until I was retired that guys would say, ‘I went through it, too.’ I was like, ‘Why didn’t you say anything back then?’ If you have migraines, it’s OK to talk about it.”

Top Music Stars Who Get Migraines

13. Kanye West, rap artist

Kanye West is more than just a rapper, producer, entrepreneur, songwriter, and fashion designer. Kanye is a Celebrity with a capital C.

Although he has not spoken publicly about his battle with migraine, his health made headlines in 2014 when he was hospitalized with migraine while on tour.

14. Janet Jackson, pop star

Janet Jackson has been a pop superstar for more than 35 years. She also experiences vestibular migraine, a type of migraine characterized by vertigo.

In 2008, Jackson required three weeks of recuperation from a migraine attack that occurred while touring.

After canceling several shows, Janet Jackson’s publicist issued a statement about her battle with vestibular migraine.

“Janet wanted very much to resume her tour so as not to disappoint her fans, but she continued to suffer from vertigo and could not perform,” said Jackson’s manager, Kenneth Crear, in a statement.

15. Loretta Lynn, country singer

Country music legend Loretta Lynn revealed details about her long battle with migraine in her book Loretta Lynn: Coal Miner’s Daughter. In the book, Lynn admitted that her migraine attacks were so bad that she collapsed on stage. She also revealed that her migraine was passed down from her father and she experienced her first migraine attack at age 17.

16. Jeff Tweedy, lead singer of Wilco

Jeff Tweedy is not only a talented and successful musician, he’s also a chronic migraine warrior. Tweedy has repeatedly spoken publicly about his battle with migraine, which has interfered with his career and personal life. In 2008, Tweedy wrote a fantastic article called “Shaking it Off” for The New York Times blog about his struggles with chronic migraine. He wrote:

“There are a lot of different ways migraines have affected my music, and vice versa: being a musician has allowed me — for lack of a better phrase — to rise above the pain from time to time. I’ve never missed a show because of a migraine. But I’ve played some really horrible shows and cut them short because there was very little I could do to keep going. I’ve played shows where I had a bucket on the side of the stage where I threw up in between songs regularly. There have been a lot of horrible experiences trying to, well, you know, have the show go on.

“On a creative level being able to play music and disappear into something as meditative as music can be has been a real blessing in my life.”

17. Jordin Sparks, pop singer

As the celebrity face of Excedrin, singer Jordin Sparks is among the celebrities with migraine who use their fame to spread awareness.

She has spoken publicly about her struggles with migraine, saying, “As they say in my business … the show must go on!

“When it comes time to promote an album or movie, I’m jumping from coast to coast, meeting to meeting, photo shoot to photo shoot — just trying to stay focused.

“With all that stress and fatigue, the last thing I need is to worry about having a migraine.”

18. Carly Simon, singer and songwriter

Carly Simon is a Grammy award–winning singer and songwriter who reportedly battles migraine. While she hasn’t spoken publicly about her attacks, British newspaper Belfast Telegraph reported in 2014 that Simon keeps her migraine under control by cutting out food-related migraine triggers.

More Celebrities Who Experience Migraine Attacks

19. Susan Olsen, actor of The Brady Bunch fame
20. Star Jones, TV personality
21. Fred Norris, radio personality
22. Andy Tongren, lead singer of Young Rising Sons
23. Lee Grant, actor and director
24. Alexis Neiers Haines, former TV personality
25. Savannah Guthrie, TV news anchor