We watch Stephen Colbert, Kristen Chenoweth, Jane Lynch, Rob Lowe and Halle Berry on television and in the movies, as they stir emotions from us. They make us laugh, cry, gasp and think. Yet, each of these gifted performers all have something in common — All five of them suffer from some form of deafness or hearing loss.
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- Stephen Colbert is deaf in his right ear. When he was younger, he had hoped to study marine biology, but surgery intended to repair a severely perforated eardrum caused him inner ear damage. The damage was severe enough that he was unable to pursue a career that would involve scuba diving and left him deaf in his right ear.
- Kristen Chenoweth suffers from Meniere’s Disease, which cause various degrees of hearing loss along with vertigo or severe dizziness, tinnitus or a roaring sound in the ears, fluctuating hearing loss, and the sensation of pressure or pain in the affected ear. This is a great challenge for a singer, dancer and performer to overcome.
- Jane Lynch is deaf in her right ear until she was seven years old. Doctors say it is nerve deafness, probably from a very high fever when I was a baby. She thinks nothing of it.
- Rob Lowe is completely deaf in his right ear since he was 8 or 9 months old, thought to be the result of the mumps undiagnosed. In loud or crowded situations, he has challenges.
- Halle Berry suffers from 80% hearing loss in her ear, which she says is the result of domestic abuse.