Last week, Amy Schumer found herself at the center of public discussion following a couple of now-viral TV appearances.
After Amy, 42, sat down on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Good Morning America to promote her Hulu series Life & Beth, several viewers wound up discussing her physical appearance as they questioned why she looked different than usual.
Sadly for Amy, the discourse quickly got out of hand, with a bunch of users suggesting that she looked as though she’d had an “allergic reaction.”
And then, a particularly popular tweet further fueled speculation around Amy’s appearance after it asked “all surgeons and doctors” to weigh in on “what happened” to her face.
Now, if you didn’t know, Amy has long been open about living with endometriosis. Back in 2021, she revealed she’d gotten her uterus and appendix removed as a result of the condition, which affects more than 11% of American women aged between 15 and 44.
And reminding people of her endometriosis last week, Amy addressed the scrutiny of her appearance by writing on Instagram: “I have endometriosis, an autoimmune disease that every woman should read about. There are some medical and hormonal things going on in my world right now but I’m okay.”
She also said, “[T]hank you so much for everyone’s input about my face! I’ve enjoyed feedback and deliberation about my appearance as all women do for almost 20 years. And you’re right it is puffier than normal right now.”
“I also believe a woman doesn’t need any excuse for her physical appearance and owes no explanation. But I wanted to take the opportunity to advocate for self love and acceptance of the skin you’re in,” she wrote.
“Like every other woman/person some days I feel confident and good as hell and others I want to put a bag over my head. But I feel strong and beautiful and so proud of this tv show I created. Wrote. Starred in and directed. Maybe just maybe we can focus on that for a little,” she added. “I had backup dancers on Fallon but my face is the headline hahaha.”
Now, Amy has opened up further about the criticism of her looks during a new podcast appearance.
Sitting down on Not Skinny But Not Fat this week, Amy said that she believes the people who don’t like her are just “mad” that she’s “not thinner” or “prettier.”
For context, Amy has come under fire for consistently posting pro-Israel content amid the current conflict with Hamas, which you can read more about here. She has also been embroiled in multiple controversies, including misguided jokes and allegedly plagiarizing other comedians' work.
She said on NSBNF of her haters: “I think they’re mad that I’m not thinner. I think they’re mad I’m not prettier and that I still feel like I have a right to speak.”
“And I think that they don’t want any women to speak,” she added, asking, “What woman has ever opened her mouth and not been torn to shreds?”
Amy went on to add that she’s “getting better at navigating” the hate she receives, noting that people have been “coming” for her for a “long time.”