10 Black Celebrities Who Have Endured Breast Cancer

A recent study with the American Cancer Society has revealed that while deaths from breast cancer are decreasing, the incidences at which they occur is starting to increase. Not only that but to be more specific, the incidences of breast cancer are increasing more in women under 50.

Research shows that Black women have a higher mortality rate overall. They have a 38% death rate in comparison to white women and as a result of these numbers it is important to continue bringing awareness to the issue. Here are 10 celebrities who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

1. Robin Roberts

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Robin Roberts has been co-anchoring on Good Morning America since 2005 after working as a featured reporter on the show for 10 years. During that time Roberts has shared some personal news in her life on the show. One of the biggest life updates that she gave was news that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007.

Fighting the disease head on, Roberts shared her journey of shaving her head and proudly wearing the bald style. Although she beat breast cancer, five years later she learned she had a rare blood disease called bone marrow myelodysplastic syndrome, which Roberts said could be caused by the cancer treatment of the breast cancer. She went through a bone marrow transplant in 2012 that saved her life. 

But in 2021, her wife Amber Laign was diagnosed with breast cancer, and by July 2022 she finished her radiation treatment. 

2. Hoda Kotb

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Former Today Show co-host Hoda Kotb was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 at the age of 43. That same year she underwent a mastectomy to be breast cancer free, and she later opened up about how that procedure interfered with her ability to have a child. 

“I do remember that even the doctor said to me then, you know, one of the side effects, especially at your age, which was in my early 40s, is you won’t be able to have children. She continued, “I was like, ‘Wait, what?’ So this thing not only put limits on my life, but killed a dream. [It] didn’t kill me right then, but it killed a dream.”

Kotb proceeded to grow her family anyway. In 2017, she adopted her daughter Haley and in 2019, she adopted her second daughter Hope.

3. Mathew Knowles

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Earlier this year, the American Cancer Society reported that it is 70 times less common for Black men to be diagnosed with breast cancer than Black women. However, the incidences are 52% higher than white men. Mathew Knowles, the father of the widely celebrated Beyoncé Knowles and her sister Solange Knowles, was diagnosed with breast cancer in July of 2019. What prompted him to go to the doctor was discovering blood stains on his bed sheets. 

Due to his background in healthcare technology, he booked an appointment for a mammogram, sonogram and biopsy to confirm that he had Stage 1A breast cancer. He proceeded to have his right breast removed and is now an advocate for other men to go and get checked. He’s also fighting for better language around the term for men to feel more comfortable getting checked. 

In his USA Today opinion piece he said, “It wasn’t comforting to walk into my first oncology appointment through doors that read ‘Women’s Breast Clinic’ and to be greeted with the question, am I here for my wife? Since I’ve shared my diagnosis, countless men have secretly shared their male chest cancer diagnosis with me, as they were too ashamed to talk openly about having ‘breast cancer.’ It’s time to use inclusive terminology that doesn’t embarrass men or prevent them from seeking the care they need.”

4. Wanda Sykes

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Emmy Award-winning comedian, Wanda Sykes, revealed to fellow comedian Ellen DeGeneres that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011. Opening up about her “scary” experience on DeGeneres’ self- titled talk show, Sykes explained that the cancer was found after she had a breast reduction. It was discovered that the type of breast cancer Sykes had was ductal carcinoma in situ, which is “zero-stage breast cancer.”

According to the American Cancer Society, DCIS “means the cells that line the ducts have changed to cancer cells, but they have not spread through the walls of the ducts into the nearby breast tissue.” 

Because of the substantial amount of breast cancer cases on her mother’s side of the family, the Back at the Barnyard star opted to have bilateral surgery. “I had both breasts removed … because now I have zero chance of having breast cancer,” she told DeGeneres.

5. Vanessa Bell Calloway

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Sykes is not the only one who dealt with DCIS. Coming to America star Vanessa Bell Calloway was also diagnosed with the cancer. In 2019, she detailed her journey in a written EBONY magazine piece explaining that after her diagnosis she and her doctor agreed she would only have a lumpectomy rather than a mastectomy. But after undergoing the procedure twice and the results not being favorable, her doctor decided it would be best for her to undergo the mastectomy.

The news was crushing to Calloway, but after accepting it and telling her family, she said, “I shopped for two surgeons for a 12-hour surgery. One performed the mastectomy and the other reconstructed my breast by using my body tissue from my stomach. I showed them photos of me on the red carpet, and I made sure to tell them to leave my cleavage. My playboy days are over, but I still needed to be sexy.”

Last October, she celebrated 14 years of being cancer free. 

6. Richard Roundtree

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Before his passing last year in October, Richard Roundtree was a beloved actor most known for his role of playing the private detective in the movie Shaft. But years before his death, Roundtree also came forward about his breast cancer diagnosis. 

He told People in 2000, “I’m not embarrassed. Breast cancer is unusual in men, yes, but you have to be a man to get through this — damn right.”

Roundtree said he initially noticed a small lump in his breast in 1993 when he was showering. He didn’t think much of it because as a child he had gynecomastia and assumed it was that. Mayo Clinic describes gynecomastia as “an increase in the amount of breast gland tissue in boys or men,” which ultimately makes the breast enlarged. 

He went to the doctor where it was revealed that he had breast cancer. He added that his doctor “performed a modified radical mastectomy, removing the complete breast from the sternum to the underarm, including the nipple and areola. The cancer had spread to the lymph nodes.” Following his operation, he secretly did six months of chemotherapy so that it wouldn’t affect his work on set. 

“Every film you do, there’s a physical,” he said, “When I had a physical, I’d always keep my undershirt on. I felt bad. But I couldn’t be unemployed.” 

7. Ananda Lewis

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Ananda Lewis, former video journalist for MTV and BET host has been open about her Stage 3 breast cancer diagnosis since 2020. Initially, doctors recommended for her to get a double mastectomy, but Lewis wanted to take a holistic approach by getting the “excessive toxins” out of her body to get her tumor out. She did things like changing her diet, homeopathic therapies and took traditional medicine, which helped for a while. But she later learned the cancer had grown to Stage 4.

“My lymph system really flared,” she said in a CNN interview, “and it was the first time I ever had a conversation with death because I felt like this is how it ends.” Lewis continued, “I was frustrated, I was a little angry at myself and I said man ‘Listen I know you’re coming for me at some point. But I don’t want it to be now and if you could just wait I promise when you do come I’m going to make it fun for you.” 

8. Dr. Jacqueline Walters

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Married to Medicine star Dr. Jacqueline Walters is another woman who has encountered breast cancer. The OB-GYN doctor was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 and told by her doctor that she had invasive lobular carcinoma.

Breast surgeon Hanh-Tam Tran, M.D. explained to John Hopkins that “Invasive lobular breast cancer is slow-growing compared to other breast cancers. But because it is difficult to detect on a mammogram, these tumors can be large by the time they are diagnosed.”

Dr. Walters went on to have a lumpectomy, but four years later she was diagnosed with mucinous cancer in her other breast. This resulted to her having a double mastectomy. Walters now encourages other people to be diligent about getting their mammograms, and in 2013 she even started her own non-profit organization dedicated to the cause called 50 Shades of Pink Foundation.

9. Bershan Shaw

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The Real Housewives of New York City star Bernshan Shaw learned she had breast cancer in 2007 at Stage 1. In 2009, her doctor told her she had Stage 4 and that she only had three months left to live. Shaw would not accept that, and she instead chose to live everyday and embarked on a journey overseas to Africa just to experience the country, the culture and the food. 

Now having survived both breast cancer diagnoses, Shaw chose to use her experience to help people dealing with any kind of mental health issue. In 2020, she launched an app called URAWarrior for people to have a safe space to get mental health services and therapy. She told Black Enterprise, “I didn’t see a safe space online […] where you could get peer-to-peer support. If you would post issues such as drug addiction, dealing with low libido or bankruptcy in a Facebook group, [I noticed] there was a lot of bullying, trolling, and people coming after you.” 

She added, “I wanted to make a cool and hip app that didn’t feel so clinical,” says Shaw. “Most people don’t just run to therapy and it’s been taboo in Black communities forever. We always say, ‘Keep your issues at home, or don’t air your dirty laundry.’ We’ve been living in the shame and embarrassment.”