Celebrities With Narcolepsy: Six Public Figures Sharing Their Stories

Hollywood and the media play a critical role in public perceptions of health and wellness. Whether it’s actors, writers, athletes, musicians, or comedians, being in the public eye means every word is turned into content to be consumed by millions of people around the world from all walks of life. In the absence of strong public education about sleep health from credible sources, media portrayals can quickly become a primary source of information, especially when presented in an accessible and entertaining format.

Celebrities carry a great deal of influence, with the power to move audiences beyond TV and movie scripts that often reinforce stereotypes and instead offer an authentic look at what life with a condition like narcolepsy truly entails. Here are six celebrities living with narcolepsy who have shared their experience, helping to dispel myths and raise awareness about this significantly underdiagnosed and misunderstood neurological condition.

Jimmy Kimmel: Putting Narcolepsy in the Spotlight

As one of the most widely recognized celebrities with narcolepsy, late night talk show host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel has brought significant visibility to the condition. In the early 2000s, he joked in Esquire magazine about hoping to become the “public face of narcolepsy,” and while he hasn’t exactly taken on that role, his trademark sense of sarcasm and humor has undoubtedly increased public awareness of the neurological condition. Jimmy has shared that he did not know he had narcolepsy until recently, though further details about his diagnosis and onset remain unknown. 

Jimmy has described several vulnerable moments caused by his excessive daytime sleepiness, including dozing off while hosting a game show, describing the sleepiness of narcolepsy “like somebody’s gently sitting on your brain.” On an episode of the podcast Smartless, Jimmy recounts falling asleep at a red light, only to be woken up by a police officer using a megaphone to ask if he was safe to drive.

He has shared openly about the challenges that his symptoms have caused, including difficulty staying awake in meetings, drinking gallons of iced tea in an attempt to stay awake in the afternoons prior to his diagnosis, taking Provigil for several years once diagnosed, and eventually deciding to stop medication and relying on caffeine for alertness. He has mentioned specifically that he does not experience cataplexy.

Nazir Stackhouse: Tackling Narcolepsy on the Field

A force to be reckoned with on the field, American professional football nose tackle for the Tennessee Titans Nazir Stackhouse has been inspiring athletes and non-athletes alike as a rising football star and person living with narcolepsy. Nazir has shared about his narcolepsy on numerous occasions, shedding light on the often invisible nature of the condition and common misperceptions. Though it might seem hard to imagine after watching clips of him barrelling through the field, Nazir has discussed the challenges of staying awake during team meetings, practices, and even on the sideline at his first college game, earning him the nickname “Big Sleepy” from his teammates.

Diagnosed between his freshman and sophomore years of college, Nazir was prescribed Wakix which he used briefly but stopped due to headaches as a side effect. With time and the support of his teammates, coaches, and loved ones, he learned to navigate the condition and has had several notable performances throughout his football career. In 2025, Nazir brought narcolepsy awareness to the public when he selected Wake Up Narcolepsy for the My Cause My Cleats campaign.

Jinkx Monsoon: Challenging Narcolepsy Stereotypes

Drag queen Jinkx Monsoon’s success as the only two-time winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race has familiarized hundreds of thousands of viewers about narcolepsy. She is the only U.S.-based reality television personality whose real-life narcolepsy symptoms have been shown on screen, making her an important reminder of the impact of media portrayal on public perceptions of sleep disorders. Jinkx’s appearances on the show featured moments where she experienced excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). In interviews, she has acknowledged that while the events aired on the show were real, the editing made some moments appear more dramatic.

Jinkx has described her narcolepsy symptoms as “moderate,” noting that stress would often exacerbate them, such as when she was both in college and competing on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Jinkx also noted that she finds her symptoms to be more manageable when she is able to set her own schedule and has said she has learned to “work with it, not against it.”

Hannah Brown: Finding Her Rhythm with Narcolepsy

Hannah Brown has been in the spotlight many times, including on The Bachelorette as the season 15 lead, winner of Dancing with the Stars, and author of her autobiography, God Bless This Mess, in which she shares about living with narcolepsy. In the book, she recounts the tragic murder of her aunt and cousins during her childhood, an experience she says continued to affect her sleep and dreams. Hannah has wondered whether the trauma may have played a role in her narcolepsy, writing that she is “tired pretty much all the time.”

Hannah’s description of her condition challenges the common perception that narcolepsy simply means falling asleep unexpectedly. On the Liz Moody Podcast, she described how there is often a delay to diagnosis when it comes to narcolepsy, “because you just think that’s just how everybody is and, like, there’s something wrong with you.” Like so many others, it was easy for her to misattribute her constant sleepiness and need for naps to being lazy. Meeting Katie Morton, a fellow contestant with narcolepsy on The Bachelor was the turning point for her. Katie encouraged Hannah to see a sleep doctor, ultimately leading to her own narcolepsy diagnosis. With a holistic approach to her physical and mental health, Hannah was able to address her narcolepsy as well as her anxiety and depression, employing sleep hygiene tips and taking medication to improve her quality of life.

Ginger Zee: Weathering Life with Narcolepsy

Chief meteorologist for ABC News and Good Morning America, Ginger Zee is an Emmy and Murrow award-winning journalist who is known for covering major weather events such as Hurricane Katrina. She was also a finalist on Season 22 of Dancing with the Stars and is a New York Times bestselling author. She has used her success to raise awareness about mental health, the importance of women and girls in STEM, and narcolepsy.

Ginger was diagnosed with narcolepsy during college but recalls experiencing symptoms since her teenage years. On the Narcolepsy 360 podcast, she recounts her journey to a diagnosis which involved falling asleep while kissing her boyfriend and being involved in three car crashes. She has been a champion in the sleep advocacy space, sharing about the challenges of managing narcolepsy alongside work, travel, pregnancy, and motherhood.

Harriet Tubman: Restless on the Road to Freedom

Harriet Tubman is remembered for her extraordinary courage in leading enslaved people to freedom through the Underground Railroad, leaving many surprised to learn that she may have had narcolepsy. After suffering a severe head injury at age of 12 in an attempt to protect a young enslaved man from punishment, Harriet began experiencing recurring episodes of sleep, visions, and vivid dreams. Historical accounts describe her falling asleep while working or in the middle of conversations, sometimes waking moments later and continuing where she had left off.

Tubman was never diagnosed with narcolepsy, and her symptoms have also been attributed to temporal lobe epilepsy. However, in a 2023 analysis, researchers proposed that her sleep attacks were most consistent with post-traumatic narcolepsy, while acknowledging that a definitive diagnosis is impossible without modern clinical testing. Despite these intrusive sleep episodes, Tubman continued to undertake the dangerous journeys that made her one of the most celebrated figures in American history.

Why Stories Matter

Each of these six celebrities with narcolepsy has offered a different perspective on what it means to live with narcolepsy. Their experiences demonstrate that narcolepsy does not always look the way it is portrayed in movies and television. By sharing their stories openly, these public figures are helping to challenge misconceptions, reduce stigma, and show others living with narcolepsy that they are not alone.

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