The Lupus Foundation of America describes lupus as a chronic disease that attacks the immune system, the part of the body that fights off disease and infections. Some of the most common symptoms people living with lupus often experience include extreme fatigue, joint pain and swelling, headaches and skin irritation.
Although the disease affects people of all races and ages, the disease is more common and severe in African Americans. According to statistics from the Lupus Foundation of America, Black women are three times more likely to develop the disease than their white counterparts, with as many as 1 in 250 Black women being impacted by lupus in their lifetime.
Here are some Black celebrities who have been living with lupus.
Toni Braxton
Singer Toni Braxton was diagnosed with lupus in 2008 after collapsing on stage during a performance of “Beauty and the Beast” on Broadway. Braxton said she saw at least six doctors before she found one who could help her identify what was going on. But the “Breathe Again” singer told the SHE MD podcast that even after she was diagnosed, she was originally told to hide the news from the public for fear that it would have a negative impact on her career.
“People get scared around sick celebrities. Nobody gets insured, and I couldn’t get insured,” she said. “I didn’t get work at first. No one wanted to put me on the stage. ‘Well, suppose she collapses on stage? And insurance? How are we going to do that?’”
These days, Braxton manages her symptoms while continuing to take the stage on her terms, including a successful 2024 Las Vegas residency with Cedric the Entertainer.
Seal
In an interview with Yahoo Lifestyle, the singer says he has been living with the symptoms of discoid lupus since he was 21. This type of lupus affects the skin and often leaves round scars or patches of inflamed skin on the face or scalp, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Although the symptoms of discoid lupus usually only impact the skin, in rare circumstances, the disease can progress to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and impact multiple organs, according to Yale Medicine.
Seal says the scars, that once made him self-conscious, have now become an undeniable part of his identity.
“Something that had kind of been initially traumatizing turned out to be something that has made me instantly recognizable,” he told Yahoo Lifestyle.
Muni Long
Singer Muni Long has been living with lupus since 2014. The GRAMMY Award winner told PEOPLE that managing her career and the symptoms of the disease can be difficult when trying to navigate a healthcare system that isn’t always empathetic to Black women.
“As a Black woman, when I go to the doctor, they never listen,” she said. “They don’t believe you. So it’s hard to tell them, ‘Hey, I’m in a lot of pain.’ They’re like, ‘OK, cool. Go get this blood work.’ “
But Long says one of the keys to keeping her symptoms under control is managing her stress, which can be one of the biggest triggers of flare-ups.
“The thing for me is I really have to just not allow people to stress me out, which is hard because people get on my nerves,” she told PEOPLE. “So the best tool that I have is just staying relaxed and not doing anything I don’t want to do.
Nick Cannon
“The Masked Singer” host Nick Cannon was diagnosed with lupus nephritis in 2012. The disease occurs when lupus autoantibodies affect parts of the kidneys, often causing high blood pressure, inflammation of the kidneys and swelling of the hands and feet, according to the Mayo Clinic. Cannon first learned about his condition when it sent him to the hospital where he was treated for “mild kidney failure” during a January 2012 vacation to Aspen with then-wife Mariah Carey and their kids Moroccan and Monroe.
Cannon said doctors told him at the time that the condition could be managed with proper diet, exercise and rest, something the father of 12 says is his top priority.
“I can live until [I’m] a very old man with this diagnosis as long as I take care of myself,” he said.
Trick Daddy
In a 2009 interview on The Rickey Smiley Morning Show, Miami-based rapper Trick Daddy revealed he had been living with discoid lupus since 1998. He was diagnosed with the disease after going to the doctor for help with extremely dry skin.
“I went to the doctor like 12 years ago,” he said. “He took all kinds of tests, because I was trying to get rid of what we call dry skin, she did biopsies and blood tests and swab tests. She told me I have the disease lupus.”
That same year, the “I’m a Thug” rapper told HipHopDX he wasn’t taking medication prescribed by his doctors to manage the symptoms and keep the disease from spreading because he didn’t like the side effects.
“I stopped taking any medicine that they was giving me, because for every medicine they gave me I had to take a test or another medicine every thirty days or so to make sure that medicine wasn’t causing side effects – dealing with kidney or liver failure…I just said [expletive] it all together I ain’t taking no medicine,” he said.