Julia Louis-Dreyfus Reveals She Felt 'Terrified' When She Learned She Had Breast Cancer

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is opening up about her scary 2017 breast cancer diagnosis.

The 62-year-old Seinfeld star got real about her health journey at the 2023 New Yorker Festival on Friday (October 6).

She recalled the strange moment when she first got the terrible news.

Keep reading to find out what she said…

“I started laughing,” the actress shared. “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 continued, “And I’m like, ‘Huh? What?’ And so, it was a very bizarre juxtaposition. 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.”

“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,” Julia noted.

Even with the best support system in the world though, cancer is still incredibly overwhelming.

“I was deeply terrified because who wouldn’t be?” She said. “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.”

Thankfully, Julia was able to announce that she was cancer-free in October 2018 after undergoing a double mastectomy and six rounds of chemo.

The whole ordeal changed her everyday mindset.

“I’m just so happy to be here, you know,” Julia reflected. “I think I’m enjoying things more. I think I work hard now to try not to allow my stress to enter my body if I can do it. That’s a difficult nut to crack, you know, for sure, because we’re all stressed. But it does have an impact.”

She clarified, “I’m not saying I got cancer from stress, necessarily, but it’s not good for you. And it’s also not a happy place to live in. So, I’m just very focused on…trying to enjoy my life as much as possible.”

The Veep star also recently opened up about her devastating pregnancy loss at 28.