Categories: Celebrity News

George Clooney opens up about having Bell’s Palsy as teenager: ‘Half of my face is paralyzed’

George Clooney is making light of a serious situation. 

While taking a trip down memory lane with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, the Hollywood actor mentioned that he suffered from Bell’s palsy as a child, which caused half of his face to be paralyzed. 

Bell’s palsy is a condition that causes sudden weakness in the muscles on one side of the face, according to the Mayo Clinic.

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George Clooney suffered from Bell’s palsy as a child, which caused half of his face to be paralyzed. 
(Getty Images)

During his guest appearance, Kimmel displayed several throwback photos of Clooney as a child. 

The first photo showed the actor with a bowl-cut hairstyle before his high school days.

 

“I want to point out that my mother cut my hair,” Clooney reacted. 

Another framed photo showed him at age 15 with long, wavy hair and a smirk on his face. 

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“Now wait, I want to point out something, because you’re going to laugh, going to make a joke. I have Bell’s palsy there and half of my face is paralyzed,” Clooney intercepted.

George Clooney explained that this childhood photo shows that he suffered from Bell’s palsy as a child, which caused half of his face to be paralyzed. 
(Jimmy Kimmel Live)

The “Ticket to Paradise” actor demonstrated the difference by covering half of his face in the photo with his hand, then comparing it to the other half.

“Look at this, watch this. . . . On the other side, it’s a completely different face. So now make your joke,” Clooney said to the talk show host.

“Make your funny joke. . . . Come on, funny man. Come on, let me give you a sad face,” he laughed.

Kimmel replied, “You know what? I didn’t have a joke, George, and you really brought everybody down. Maybe we should have another toast to bring things back up.”

Snoop Dogg and George Clooney were guests on "Jimmy Kimmel Live."
(Jimmy Kimmel Live)

George Clooney isn’t the only celebrity to reveal he has suffered from Bell’s palsy.

In 2016, Angelina Jolie spoke out about her Bell’s palsy diagnosis. 

At the age of 42, the Oscar-winning actress discussed her health conditions – including hypertension, Bell’s palsy and previously having a hysterectomy and double mastectomy –  in an interview with Vanity Fair.

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Singer Justin Bieber revealed a similar diagnosis last June. He was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which caused partial facial paralysis. 

He struggled with facial movements on the right side of his face, including blinking his eye, moving his nostril or simply smiling from the right side of his mouth.

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Ramsay Hunt syndrome “occurs when a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near one of your ears,” according to the Mayo Clinic. 

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