Tragic Details About Amy Schumer

The following article contains references to sexual assault and domestic abuse.

Amy Schumer was the last person who saw fame coming, and she didn't predict that it would last. At a Comedy Central event in New York in 2016, she said, "Do you guys know that I'm really famous now? I think it's gonna last another six months. Obviously, I've got behavioral issues" (via USA Today).

After joking about fame's potential briefness, Schumer opened up about the downside of being well-known. "I didn't know what being famous would be like. You can imagine, and then it actually really blows. You're like, 'Boo-hoo,' and yes, I'm very rich now. Very rich. But now, I get to have things like: If I walk down the street in New York, people going, 'Oh my god, I never do this, but would you (expletive) my brother?'" Yikes! Sounds like the attention leads to some strange encounters.

While it comes with its downsides, Schumer wasn't kidding about the financial perks she's experienced thanks to her success. But she's also opened up about the struggles of being so recognized, and how she felt happier once she stopped thinking about how she looked. Her prominence also led to anxiety, and Schumer got candid about this. So the big takeaway is that fame and fortune don't erase the difficulties of life. Amy Schumer faced some challenging situations — and outright tragic ones — before she became famous.

Amy Schumer opened up about her first sexual experience with Katie Couric on her podcast "Next Question" and said that she was "flat-out raped." Schumer also told Marie Claire (via HuffPost): "My first sexual experience was not a good one. I didn't think about it until I started reading my journal again. When it happened, I wrote about it almost like a throwaway." 

Schumer also spoke about the experience of coercion that she often lived through as a young woman where she felt unable to say no to a man's sexual advances. So a major part of Schumer's growth into adulthood was owning her right to set boundaries and see herself as a survivor rather than a victim. Schumer opened up about this mentality in her book, "The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo," after the sexual assault, where she had to shed the idea that it was her fault. "Isn't it sad," Schumer wrote, "that when a girl says she was sexually assaulted, our first instinct is to think she's probably lying?"

Schumer has also shown responsibility for helping other women and calling out rape jokes. On Twitter, she spoke directly to men, saying (via USA Today): "If you're confused about the new rules. Just ask and don't make it a joke. Because that's harmful and we don't want to hear that kind of joke right now. Mmmmmkay?"

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Amy Schumer and her family faced some serious challenges during her childhood. Her father, Gordon Schumer, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she was 9 years old, and the family went bankrupt, according to The New York Times. On top of this, her father's diagnosis led to a sudden desire in him to disclose the secrets of his life. "I think because he has MS, he wanted to confess everything in case he died," Schumer said. "I got to be that lucky gal."

But Schumer also shared that her father's MS informed her comedy in a rich way. "I mean, it's the most painful thing in the world to just watch this person that you love ultimately just digress and kind of decompose," she said to David Greene on NPR's "Morning Edition." "And it's too heavy, and you have to find a way to laugh at it. I will on stage go to a very dark place and make light of things that are painful. And it makes me feel better to hear about other people's struggles, so I like to share mine."

They had to forfeit their family farm when Schumer was a kid, but for Christmas in 2016, she bought it back as a present for her dad. "We lost the farm when we lost everything else," she shared on Instagram (via E!). "But today I got to buy it back for him." What a charming turn of events.

Amy Schumer spent her childhood in Long Island and is a New York City gal at heart, but she spent some time in California, too. Unfortunately, the reason for her trip to the opposite coast was a sad one. "I also lived in Santa Barbara for a period of time," Schumer told Brick Underground in 2011, explaining her trajectory: "because I followed an abusive boyfriend out there. I mistakenly thought that it meant he really liked me." 

In her book, "The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo," Schumer got into further detail, discussing one boyfriend's envy and anger after she had danced with someone else. "He ran to the kitchen and broke a mug over his head, and then started banging his head on a light fixture attached to the ceiling. It wouldn't break," she wrote, (via Life & Style). "I was screaming for him to stop, when he grabbed a huge butcher knife from a drawer. And that's when I was sure he was going to kill me."

On Paris Hilton's podcast "This is Paris," Schumer spoke about such horror in hindsight. "Those patterns can be broken, which is really cool. Like, anybody can wind up in an abusive relationship." Schumer's message was one of hope. She changed the course of this path for herself and speaks about it openly now.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

Amy Schumer's experiences online haven't always been positive. The comedian has been the continuous target of trolls who want to go after her for her looks. Schumer has been open about overcoming body shaming, and her 2018 film "I Feel Pretty" targeted this directly.

Schumer spoke to Vice Life about the importance of this project. "All social media is usually attacking me and trolling how I look," she said. She explained that her message was that people should "feel so good about [themselves]" and stop spending energy on comparison and self-deprecation. What we love so much about Schumer is her willingness to go there with fans, and she admitted to Vice Life that she still can struggle with finding confidence.

Even after giving birth to her son, Schumer faced vitriol online. She posted a photo that revealed her C-section scar and postpartum underwear. After people complained, Schumer took to Instagram again, taking no prisoners. "I'm really sorry if I offended anyone with my hospital underwear. Except I'm just kidding," she wrote. Even this post had its fair share of haters, but others pushed back and defended her. "I think she's great," one person said. "This is what motherhood and giving birth is really all about." Another person wrote, "Loved the fact that u wore those undies! They're so f***ing comfortable! I think I wore mine until they fell apart!" Clearly, other people needed to see the real side of childbirth.

Tragedy hit in July 2015. A shooter wounded nine individuals, killed two women, and then killed himself at a Louisiana theater playing Amy Schumer's "Trainwreck," Vanity Fair notes. Schumer told the outlet that hearing about the tragedy was utterly devastating to her. "It really ... I don't know. It's like when the 'Dark Knight' shooting happened, and in Paris," Schumer said. "The idea of people trying to go out and have a good time — you know, like looking forward to it? — I don't know why that makes me the saddest."

Schumer explained that the news came from her publicist. "And then I put on the news. I was by myself in a hotel, and I was just like, I wish I never wrote that movie," she added. "I just felt helpless and stupid." Schumer admitted to feeling responsible for the tragedy, even though those close to her stressed the point that she had done nothing wrong.

Schumer told Katie Couric on her podcast "Next Question" that the harrowing experience made her invested in gun activism. "I think about them all the time," Schumer said, speaking of the victims. "I kind of keep them with me and any accomplishments or anything, I just always mention them. I dedicate every special to them now. Just to keep them alive in myself and in the ether." Schumer said she knew nothing about gun safety activism before, but things completely changed. "We push and we get into Congress' face," Schumer said. It was a tragic event to lead to such activism.

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

Amy Schumer suffered from endometriosis, a condition where uterine tissue grows outside of the uterus, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, causing acute pain and in some cases, fertility issues. In September 2021, Schumer had surgery where both her uterus and her appendix had to be removed. In a video shared to Instagram, Schumer said: "The doctor found 30 spots of endometriosis and he removed, he removed my appendix because the endometriosis had attacked it." She added that there was "a lot of blood in [her] uterus."

Throughout her recovery, Schumer kept fans updated and also called out the medical industry for neglecting women in its research. In a later post, Schumer wrote: "THERE IS BARELY ANY RESEARCH ON ENDOMETRIOSIS WHICH OVER 10 percent of women have," noting that much of the medical resources are allocated to issues like erectile dysfunction, stressing that women are severely neglected in medical inquiry. Earlier in the post, Schumer celebrated how much better she felt already, saying that she was "a changed person" and had "new energy" to spend time with her son, Gene.

In January 2022, Schumer gave another health update on Instagram. "I feel good. Finally," she began, adding, "...talk to me after your uterus doesn't contract for 2.5 years and you turn 40." Mindy Kaling offered her support: "Healthy, sexy, happy, love it." Michelle Pfeiffer wrote: "Congratulations." Others flooded the comments section with support and encouragement for Schumer, expressing their thanks for her candid conversation about endometriosis.

Amy Schumer opened up about another health crisis on Instagram. In September 2020, Schumer posted a throwback photo of herself as a child going fishing. "Anyone get LYME this summer? I got it and I'm on doxycycline," she explained. "I have maybe had it for years." She went on to ask for help. "Any advice? Can you have a glass of wine or 2 on it? I know to stay out of the sun. I'm also taking these herbs from cape cod called lyme-2," she added. But Schumer was overall positive in her post. "I also want to say that I feel good and am excited to get rid of it," she explained.

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by infected ticks' bites, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms, including headaches and fatigue, can be eliminated through antibiotics if caught early, but the disease can have severe repercussions if left untreated, and "infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system."

Several other celebrities have opened up about the harrowing experience of going through Lyme disease. Kelly Osbourne spoke about her diagnosis and how challenging it was to receive treatment, considering it's often called an invisible illness. Justin Bieber has also been candid about the intense struggle he's had with Lyme, as has Yolanda Hadid about herself and two of her children: Bella and Anwar Hadid. "It's very real. And [a] lot of people are suffering," Yolanda told People, speaking of the challenges of the disease.

For Amy Schumer, conceiving her son and living through her pregnancy was a huge challenge. In an effort to have a second child, Schumer and her husband, Chris Fischer, used in vitro fertilization and, true to her transparent, candid nature, Schumer shared the experience with fans on Instagram. In January 2020, she shared photos of her bruised abdomen and said: "I'm a week into IVF and feeling really run down and emotional." She ended her post by saying, "We are freezing my eggs and figuring out what to do to give Gene a sibling."

In February 2020, Schumer gave fans an update on Instagram, and thanked them for sharing their own stories and experiences. "So many women go through many rounds of ivf which is painful and mentally grueling," Schumer said. "I heard from hundreds of women about...their miscarriages and struggles and also many hopeful stories about how after rounds and rounds of ivf it worked!!"

However, Schumer and her husband eventually decided to stop IVF. "I decided that I can't be pregnant ever again," Schumer told Willie Geist of "Today." "We thought about a surrogate, but I think we're gonna hold off for right now." Schumer's pregnancy with her son was extremely challenging, too, something she chronicled in the HBO series "Expecting Amy," where she continued touring throughout hospitalization. She experienced hyperemesis gravidarum, a condition that includes acute and long-lasting forms of morning sickness. So nothing about the journey was easy for her.

Amy Schumer almost died while surfing, where she punctured her leg with her surfboard fin. She told Vanity Fair that she went through a horrible experience with ​​"41 stitches, three layers. I skegged myself. My whole fin went into my leg, and I had to yank it out. I was by myself." Schumer explained that the beach was relatively abandoned, since it was late in the season, but she found a man who helped her after she swam to shore. "I was like, 'I need you to hold my leg.' I was delegating. And he held my leg closed with his bare hands — just fat and blood coming out. I wish I knew who that guy was, because he saved my life, for sure."

While this mysterious stranger, whom Schumer called "beautiful," saved her, sharks were her top fear while she was swimming in, and at one point, she felt certain that she was going to die. "But my thoughts while I was coming out — I remember them," Schumer explained. "I thought, 'Well, I'm going to die. I can't believe I'm going to die like this.'" Clearly, Schumer's mind was racing, as she realized she wouldn't die but could certainly lose a leg. The star's mind flashed to an alternate life as a motivational speaker, but she was getting ahead of herself. Thankfully, Amy Schumer was totally fine, but even in a crisis, she still manages to find her own style of humor.