If you struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), it’s easy to feel alone. You might even think that OCD is a curse—something that will inevitably hold you back from living your dreams.
In reality, 8.5 million people are estimated to be living with OCD in the United States. And yes, many famous athletes, musicians, and actors are included in that group. More importantly, many have found effective treatment for OCD and live the life they want to live.
The celebs below have spoken out about OCD and even shared strategies that can give other OCD sufferers hope. “If there’s a stigma about a condition and someone you respect in the public eye comes out to say that they have it, it can change your mind about what’s possible for you,” said Dr. Patrick McGrath, psychologist and Chief Clinical Officer at NOCD.
OCD doesn’t have to stand in the way of your success in life. Find an available OCD specialist.
What is OCD?
OCD is a highly treatable mental health condition that affects approximately 1 in 40 people around the world. Despite how common it is, it remains widely misunderstood and often goes undiagnosed.
OCD is characterized by intrusive, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive physical or mental behaviors (compulsions). People with OCD experience intense anxiety or distress as a result of their obsessions, so they engage in compulsive behaviors to alleviate the discomfort they feel or keep an unwanted event from happening. Unfortunately, compulsions only bring temporary relief—so there’s seemingly no way out of the perpetual loop of distressing thoughts and ritualistic behaviors (aka the OCD cycle).
12 celebrities with OCD
Here are twelve celebrities who have either become advocates for OCD following their diagnosis or publicly discussed their symptoms in interviews—helping, in their own way, to end the stigma that often surrounds the disorder.
1. David Beckham, British soccer star and co-owner of Inter Miami CF
What he’s said about his OCD: Beckham first spoke about his OCD-related compulsions in a television interview in 2006, just before his third World Cup appearance. Fear of disorder is a key theme: “I’ve got this obsessive compulsive disorder where I have to have everything in a straight line or everything has to be in pairs. I’ll put my Pepsi cans in the fridge and if there’s one too many then I’ll put it in another cupboard somewhere … everything has to be perfect,” he said.
In his more recent Netflix docuseries, Beckham confessed that “when everyone’s in bed, I then go around cleaning the candles, turning the lights on to the right setting. I make sure everywhere is tidy because I hate coming down in the morning and there’s cups and plates and bowls. It’s tiring.”
2. Howie Mandel, Canadian comedian, actor, and television host
What he’s said about his OCD: Mandel, who is famous for hosting the American game show “Deal or No Deal,” was diagnosed with OCD in his 40s.
“After so much mental suffering throughout most of my life, it was a gift, first, to identify my issue as having OCD,” Mandel told NOCD. “Based on my own experience, the two biggest barriers to gaining control over this condition were—and remain—the stigma attached and access to high-quality treatment.”
Based on my own experience, the two biggest barriers to gaining control over this condition were—and remain—the stigma attached and access to high-quality treatment.
3. John Green, YouTuber and author of six novels, including international bestseller The Fault in Our Stars
What he’s said about his OCD: John Green has admitted to having OCD since he was a kid. “I don’t want to minimize how hard or how painful it is,” he has said, while cautioning against believing that OCD is “the whole story of your life.” As he admitted in a conversation with NOCD’s Clinical Director, Patrick McGrath, PhD, “I understand falling for the lie. I have fallen for it many times myself. But it is a lie.”
“OCD is treatable, and I’m living evidence of that. In my novel about OCD, Turtles All The Way Down, I write about Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy, which is the gold standard of OCD treatment—and it has benefited me tremendously…My life is so much better than when I lost eight hours a day to compulsive behavior and sweating through intense fear that I was trying to manage. ERP is uncomfortable. But the rewards are real.”
4. Megan Fox, American actress
What she’s said about her OCD: In 2010, Fox opened up about OCD’s impact on her daily life, admitting to seeking out a psychiatrist after starting to wash her hands so often that her knuckles bled. “I said, ‘This is a sickness, I have an illness, this has moved beyond “Oh I need my hands to be clean”—this is not OK anymore,’” she said.
She’s also no stranger to rumination: “People can’t imagine what the struggle is really like, when you can’t let go of a thought or a word,” she said. “All day and everyday. And I can engage in a conversation with someone and seem like I’m present, and the whole time I’m in my own head thinking about something else, worrying about something else.”
People can’t imagine what the struggle is really like, when you can’t let go of a thought or a word.
5. Lili Reinhart, American actress
What she’s said about her OCD: In 2019, Reinhart went on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and got heat for calling herself OCD. She took to X to respond to the criticism: “I just want to put out there re: my Fallon interview—I actually do suffer from OCD, it wasn’t just a little quip I made on a talk show. I’ve had OCD since I was in elementary school. So, yes. I do have the right to talk about it. Thanks.”
6. Ariana Grande, American singer and actress
What she’s said about her OCD: On a podcast earlier this year, Grande said she struggled with OCD as a child, and that her symptoms are better managed when she’s busy.
She’s shared that she’d have to hear a song three times to make sure she’d been in the shower long enough—a compulsion that can come with the OCD subtype of Contamination OCD.
“It goes away when I’m creating or when I’m busy with work,” she said. “When I’m in an off season or in between projects, I’m like ‘is that thing coming back?’”
7. Maria Bamford, American actress and comedian
What she’s said about her OCD: Bamford created a comedy series about OCD-related intrusive thoughts to help remove some of the stigma around the condition and treatment.
In a NOCD video last year, Bamford shed light on what the media often gets wrong about the disorder: “Being ‘so OCD’ isn’t making sure your utensil drawer is neatly sorted,” Bamford said. “It’s being so afraid of stabbing your loved ones with a utensil that you throw them all away.”
Being ‘so OCD’ isn’t making sure your utensil drawer is neatly sorted. It’s being so afraid of stabbing your loved ones with a utensil that you throw them all away.
8. Camila Cabello, American singer
What she’s said about her OCD: In an essay she wrote for the Wall Street Journal, Cabello said OCD “made me feel like my mind was playing a cruel trick on me.” Since getting treatment, however, Cabello said she’s “no longer in that internal war. I feel the healthiest and most connected to myself I’ve ever been.”
9. Daniel Radcliffe, British actor
What he’s said about his OCD: The Harry Potter star was diagnosed with OCD when he was five. In a 2012 interview, he said his OCD compulsions were severe, but that he had found therapy that helped his symptoms.
“I would encourage everyone to undergo therapy,” Radcliffe said. “It doesn’t mean you’re insane or weak.”
10. Lena Dunham, American actress and comedian
What she’s said about her OCD: Dunham brought more awareness to OCD through her character Hannah on “Girls,” the HBO show that ran from 2012 to 2017. “It’s something that I struggled with so I felt as though I’m able to shed a certain kind of light on the experience and doesn’t necessarily feel like the cookie-cutter idea of OCD,” she said, adding that her “biggest pet peeves is when people go like, ‘I just love it when my room’s clean; I’m so OCD!’”
11. Mayim Bialik, American actress and neuroscientist
What she’s said about her OCD: Bialik said one of the most difficult parts of her OCD is trying new things. But by “learning to trust other people and lean on them for support you can make changes and still be OK,” she said. “Change is possible, change can be good.”
12. Kelly Rowland, American singer and actress
What she’s said about her OCD: Motherhood has required Rowland to get extra help for her OCD and lean on her support system. “It’s a lot of pre-scheduling because I have OCD. I just like to make sure that the kids are going to be alright,” she said of managing her busy schedule.
How to live a successful life with OCD
Living a successful life with OCD is not limited to the realm of the celebrities you’ve read about here. The key to not letting OCD stand in the way of your dreams—whether personal or professional—is to get the right treatment.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy, an evidence-based treatment, is considered the gold-standard for OCD. This specialized treatment is unlike traditional talk therapy or general cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). And without practicing ERP specifically, it’s very likely that your OCD will get worse, not better.
ERP works by gradually exposing you to your triggers, and teaching you response prevention strategies to cope with your distress—things that don’t involve compulsions. You will never be forced into anything before you’re ready, but you will be encouraged to do exposures that move you toward recovery.
Let’s take the example of a person struggling with Contamination OCD who is uncomfortable having guests in their home due to a debilitating fear of germs. An ERP therapist might suggest bringing an object from another location—like a friend’s home—into their living room, without sanitizing it first. The next crucial part of the process involves working with their therapist to deal with the emotions that come up during the exposures. Sitting with these feelings, OCD sufferers often find that they can get through the discomfort and their worst fears don’t seem so real anymore.
While not a replacement for ERP, some people find that the combination of medication and therapy is also effective. Likewise, your your day-to-day habits can also play an important role, says Taylor Newendorp MA, LCP, an OCD specialist. Getting decent sleep, eating well, engaging in physical activity, and making time for joy makes it a lot easier to find the mental and physical energy to effectively do therapy, he says. After all, nurturing our brains, bodies, and spirits can help us be more effective at whatever we put our minds to—yes, including OCD recovery.