Amy Schumer is letting the world in on what she calls her biggest secret … the hair-pulling disorder she says has caused her internal shame for decades.
The comedian and actress says she suffers from trichotillomania, the scientific name for compulsive hair pulling — a disorder she says she’s lived with since she was a child, and one she fears may be passed on to her 2-year-old son.
Amy opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about her struggles living with the disorder, saying … “I’m proud that my big secret only hurts me but it’s been what I’ve carried so much shame about for so long.”
There’s a genetic component to trichotillomania and, as a result, Amy says she feels like she’s having a heart attack every time she sees her young son touch his hair.
She recalls things getting so bad when she was younger, she needed a wig to cover bald spots … and says everyone at school knew she was rocking a wig, which didn’t even fit.
Amy’s confronting this issue head-on in her new scripted Hulu show, “Life & Beth” — which is partly based on her real life — and she’s hoping it will help alleviate shame for not only herself, but also others.