Eric Stonestreet reveals that he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2009 but initially kept it a secret
The actor was “embarrassed” and didn’t do much to maintain his health until he started taking Mounjaro
The Modern Family alum said the medication was a “game changer” for his health and he’s lost a “substantial amount” of weight
Eric Stonestreet used to think his health was “fairly good.” He struggled to lose weight like many people, but felt fine overall.
“I was just trying to maintain as healthy a lifestyle as I could without doing a tremendous amount about it,” he tells PEOPLE.
But in 2009, just as he landed his beloved role as Cameron Tucker on Modern Family, Stonestreet was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. “It was like this crazy happy moment cut with this diagnosis that I truthfully didn’t take very seriously,” he recalls.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body can’t use insulin properly. It’s a chronic condition where an individual has persistently high blood sugar levels, which can cause various health problems like heart disease, kidney disease and stroke. Treatment includes blood sugar monitoring, lifestyle changes with exercise and diet, and medication.
“I had a doctor that sent me on my way with a couple pills and said, ‘Take care,’” Stonestreet, 53, recalls. “No inspiring moment of ‘You need to seize the day and change this,’ which I guess technically isn’t their responsibility, but I just didn’t do anything about it.”
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Eric Stonestreet before and after his health journey
At that point, Stonestreet admits that he felt so ashamed by his diagnosis that he kept it a secret from his family and friends for a long time.
“I was embarrassed. I didn’t want to tell anybody,” he says. “I knew my mom and dad were both type 2 diabetics and didn’t share it with them. If I was dating a person, I never shared that with them. I didn’t tell my two best friends for a long time.”
The Emmy winner says he didn’t even tell his now-fiancée Lindsay Schweitzer until a few years into their eight-year relationship. “I would hide my injectables and my pills from her. I didn’t want her to open the fridge and see something in there,” he adds.
As he kept his diagnosis hidden, Stonestreet spent years not doing much about his type 2 diabetes. It wasn’t until he found a set of doctors who emphasized the seriousness of his condition that he was able to take action.
The first thought that came to Stonestreet’s mind was his late father, who used to deal with “very painful” diabetic neuropathy — a type of nerve damage, typically in the legs and feet. “He passed away from leukemia, but the thing that was the most painful for him was his diabetic neuropathy. And I just decided, well, I can’t go down that road,” the actor explains.
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Eric Stonestreet
Related: Comedian Jim Gaffigan Says He Lost 50 Lbs. with the Help of Mounjaro: ‘It’s Such a Better Life’ (Exclusive)
Additionally, Stonestreet says the thought of not being there for his and Schweitzer’s 13-year-old twin sons made him turn things around.
“They’re her kids but I’ve known them since 3 so they’re my kids as well,” he explains. “And just like every parent, I want to be around. So I just decided, I gotta stop this train from going that direction and reverse it a little bit as best I can.”
To help his journey, Stonestreet’s endocrinologist told him: “There’s this new drug coming out called Mounjaro, and when it comes out, you’re going on it.’”
Mounjaro is an FDA-approved prescription medication for people with type 2 diabetes. It’s a brand name for tirzepatide — also known as Zepbound — which is highly effective for weight loss by reducing appetite and improving how the body breaks down sugar and fat.
Related: Weight Loss Drugmaker Eli Lilly Releases Oscars Ad Jabbing People Who Use the Drugs for ‘Vanity’: ‘It’s Not for That’
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Eric Stonestreet
Stonestreet has been taking the weekly injections since the medication hit the market in May 2022 — and it’s completely transformed his health.
“It’s a game changer,” he says. “It has just been incredible. It’s changed my lifestyle, changed my approach to eating, changed my approach to exercise.”
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Stonestreet — alongside his mother Jamey — is now a spokesperson for Eli Lilly and Company, maker of Mounjaro. He admits that because the medication worked so well for him, he felt committed to making lifestyle changes to maintain the results.
“I felt like, well, if I don’t do something along with it, I’m disappointing it. I’m letting it down. Here these people have invented this incredible thing that clearly does its part. Now I need to contribute my part,” he says. “And it turns out that when you do that and make some really great choices, weight loss is also a byproduct of that.”
Eli Lilly and Company
Eric Stonestreet and his mother Jamey
“I experienced a little weight loss. My mom, she lost a significant amount of weight in her experience with it, but I’m down quite a bit,” the Dexter: Resurrection actor continues. “I kind of was at the same weight for many years, but then in the last year when I started to really contribute more to it, I’ve dropped substantial amount of weight.”
Stonestreet jokes that he’s “turned my type 2 diabetes into a little bit of a game,” knowing the exact amounts of what he should and shouldn’t eat. And as a result, he’s feeling better than he ever has.
“There’s a pep in my step,” he says proudly, sharing that he recently walked 4.4 miles through New York City.
“And I notice it walking through the airport with my bags. I’m just lighter on my feet. It feels good. I mean, everyone’s experienced that. You lose a couple pounds and you feel better,” he tells PEOPLE.
This article was written independently by PEOPLE’s editorial team and meets our editorial standards. Eli Lilly is a paid advertising partner with PEOPLE.
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