8 Celebrities With Vitiligo
Skin ConditionsVitiligo

8 Celebrities Who Have Spoken Out About Vitiligo

By
Updated on February 27, 2026
by
Celebrities that have spoken on vitiligo
Living with a chronic condition can be challenging, and managing it while in the public eye can be even more so. One such condition: vitiligo, an autoimmune skin condition that causes patches of skin to lose pigment.

What was once a stigmatized condition is now something celebrities — from Winnie Harlow to Jon Hamm — are speaking out about to help raise awareness and reduce stigma around this skin condition.

“Celebrity testimonials highlighting the noncommunicable nature of vitiligo and the psychosocial impact it has on the individual will greatly help in fighting against the possible stigmas that vitiligo is associated with,” says Sanober Pezad, MD, a board-certified dermatologist specializing in integrative and holistic dermatology in Dallas.

How Are People Impacted by Vitiligo?

Vitiligo may appear at any age, but the average onset of symptoms is during your mid-twenties, and pigment loss generally progresses with time.

“Vitiligo can make you feel helpless, which is one of its most unsettling aspects,” says Alpana Mohta, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Jaipur, India, and medical adviser for BetterGoods.org. “The first thing you can do is regain control of your knowledge. The more you study about vitiligo, the more equipped you will feel to deal with it.”

Yet the impact of vitiligo may extend beyond physical symptoms. People experiencing vitiligo may also develop low self-esteem that can impact their quality of life.

 “This condition does not differentiate between creed, boundaries, or ethnicity, and given the inherent visibility of this skin disorder, self-esteem is often compromised,” says Dr. Pezad.

Read on to learn about eight celebrities living with vitiligo and their experiences and advocacy around this skin condition.

1

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson
As perhaps one of the most famous celebrities with vitiligo, Michael Jackson is also one of the most commonly searched-for people with this skin condition on the internet.

Reports suggest Jackson first experienced vitiligo symptoms in the 1980s, when he was in his mid-twenties. But due to stigma surrounding vitiligo at the time, Jackson didn’t officially disclose his condition publicly until a 1993 interview with Oprah. He did not actually identify the condition as vitiligo, rather as a condition “that destroys the pigmentation of the skin.”

“It is something I cannot help. When people make up stories that I don’t want to be who I am, it hurts me,” he said.

Like many other people experiencing vitiligo, Jackson first used makeup to camouflage light spots developing over his naturally dark skin tone. As his condition progressed, he reportedly used depigmenting creams, which can remove the rest of your skin’s natural pigment. Depigmentation is a gradual, permanent treatment that is rarely used.

2

Winnie Harlow

Winnie Harlow

Winnie Harlow is a fashion and runway model with vitiligo who competed on the 21st season of America’s Next Top Model. She’s also an inclusive beauty activist who uses her platform to help raise awareness about the condition.

Rather than conceal her skin with clothing or makeup, Harlow’s openness helps reduce stigma around vitiligo. She continues to be featured in major fashion magazines, brand campaigns, and on runways. At 24 years old, she was the first person with vitiligo to participate in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

In a 2022 op-ed published in Cosmopolitan, Harlow recalls how she began experiencing vitiligo at age 4. A traumatic photo shoot that left her with a severe sunburn inspired Harlow to launch her own line of sun care products for all skin tones, called Cay Skin.

Next up video playing in 10 seconds

7 Celebrities Who Have Spoken Out About Vitiligo

Learn about 7 celebrities living with vitiligo and how they use their platforms to raise awareness and inspire others to embrace their uniqueness.
3

Karl Dunbar

Karl Dunbar
A former professional football player and current football coach, Karl Dunbar has used his platform to help spread awareness about vitiligo. Dunbar shared that his symptoms of vitiligo appeared when he was a teenager, and he faced stigma throughout his childhood and teenage years. But once he started playing football at Louisiana State University, he found people cared more about his athletic ability than his skin.

Now as a defensive line coach, recently hired by the New York Jets, Dunbar embraces his appearance with a positive attitude. “I’m just like a leopard or a tiger,” Dunbar told Fox Sports. “I have my spots and I’ll be happy with them.”

4

Jon Hamm

Jon Hamm
Perhaps best-known for his portrayal of Don Draper in the TV show Mad Men, Jon Hamm is another celebrity known to have vitiligo. Hamm once quipped that the stress he experienced while filming Mad Men had triggered the onset of this condition.

Indeed, stress has been widely studied as a possible trigger of autoimmune conditions like vitiligo. Stress, exposure to certain chemicals, and ultraviolet radiation may all be possible triggers for individuals who are genetically predisposed to vitiligo.

5

Michaela DePrince

Michaela DePrince
Ballet dancer Michaela DePrince was born in Sierra Leone and orphaned as a young child. “They called me the devil’s child because I had vitiligo,” she told ESPN.

 In the orphanage, she saw a picture of a ballerina in a magazine and decided she wanted to be a dancer.

 Eventually, a family in the United States adopted her and embraced not only DePrince’s love of ballet but also who she was inside and out.
DePrince, who was a second soloist with Boston Ballet, was a role model for aspiring ballerinas of all skin colors.

 She published an autobiography about her journey from her early childhood experiences to ballet stardom, starred in a 2021 film adaption of Coppelia, and appeared in Beyoncé’s music video for “Freedom.”
“In the beginning, I really hated having vitiligo," she said. “When I first had to do a piece on stage without a full bodysuit, I wanted to cover it up. Now, I realize it’s okay. This is who I am, and I’m not going to do that.”

6

Hedvig Lindahl

Hedvig Lindahl

Hedvig Lindahl is a retired Swedish soccer player and another celebrity using her platform to raise awareness about vitiligo. She remains actively engaged on social media about vitiligo, including a post on Facebook on World Vitiligo Day in 2020, where she describes experiencing symptoms of vitiligo at age 5 and losing all her skin pigment by age 20.

Lindahl doesn’t consider herself an official vitiligo spokesperson; she simply accepts it as a natural part of who she is, she told Vitiligo Zone. Her advice for people living with vitiligo? “Talk about it in public. Tell people that you have condition, be proud to be different, don’t feel ashamed. ... Take a step out in the light of society and be proud, instead of hid[ing] and feel[ing] bad.”

7

Krizz Kaliko

Krizz Kaliko
As a rapper, singer, and songwriter, Krizz Kaliko has chosen to place his experiences with vitiligo directly into his work. Case in point: His 2008 debut album, Vitiligo, peaked at 167 on the Billboard Top 200.

 On the title track, he reflects on the difficulties he faced growing up with vitiligo and his accomplishments since.

One unexpected positive, though: In a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” thread, Kaliko notes his vitiligo “made me more popular than everybody else, because nobody else looked like me.”

Kaliko has been upfront with his vitiligo symptoms on his face, which is a common area of the body for this skin condition to first develop. Patchy color losses around your hands and body openings, like your eyes and mouth, are also common first symptoms.

8

Dean Edwards

Dead Edwards

Celebrity chef Dean Edwards, who came in second on MasterChef and is the resident chef of breakfast show Lorraine, has been outspoken about his experience with vitiligo.

In 2025 for World Vitiligo Day, he took to Instagram to share more about his journey living with the condition.

“I’m not saying it’s all been plain sailing, I didn’t have any on my face until my 30s and all of a sudden I find myself at around 70% coverage on my face,” he wrote. “I initially struggled with this and for over 10 years cooking on breakfast TV I used make up to hide my hands as the cameras would zoom in whilst I was cooking.”

He also wants to use his platform to support others who may be struggling on their journey, as he once struggled with vitiligo and feeling “visibly different” but now has “grown to love” his skin.

“I’m definitely in a place where I’m comfortable and I’m here to support anyone that is struggling in their own journey. Feel free to reach out if you are struggling I will always do my best to try and respond,” he wrote.

The Takeaway

  • Vitiligo is an autoimmune skin condition that causes patches of skin to lose pigment. It can affect people of all skin types.
  • This chronic condition often starts in the mid-twenties, with pigment loss progressing over time.
  • Awareness around vitiligo is increasing and stigma is lessening, thanks in part to public figures who are open about having vitiligo themselves.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Vitiligo. MedlinePlus.
  2. Vitiligo. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
  3. Kluger N. Letter: The Michael Jackson and Winnie Harlow Effect: Impact on Vitiligo Awareness on the Internet Reports. The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology. September 1, 2019.
  4. LA Times Archive. Glove Comes off in Jackson Interview: Entertainment: In a Talk With Oprah Winfrey, the Pop Star Denies He’s Had His Skin Bleached or Undergone Much Plastic Surgery. Los Angeles Times. February 11, 1993.
  5. The Michael Jackson Interview: Oprah Reflects. Oprah.com. September 16, 2009.
  6. Ludmann P. Vitiligo: Diagnosis and Treatment. American Academy of Dermatology Association. May 25, 2023.
  7. Pelletiere N. Winnie Harlow Breaks Barriers as the First Model With Vitiligo To Walk the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show: ‘I’m a Trailblazer'. GMA. November 15, 2018.
  8. Harlow W. Vitiligo Made Me Famous, but It’s Not Who I Am. Cosmopolitan. July 13, 2022.
  9. Dunbar Won’t Let Vitiligo Hold Him Back. Fox Sports. November 9, 2011.
  10. McGurk S. So What Now, Jon? GQ. September 21, 2015.
  11. DePrince M. Michaela DePrince on Her Journey From War Orphan in Sierra Leone To World-Class Ballerina. ESPN. February 13, 2019.
  12. Cruel J. This Ballerina With Vitiligo Is Bringing Hope to the Stage. Self Magazine. June 9, 2017.
  13. Mitchell. Hedvig Lindhal Interview. Vitiligo Zone. May 26, 2009.
  14. Billboard 200. Billboard. May 24, 2008.
  15. Vitiligo. Mayo Clinic. February 1, 2024.
Meet Our Experts
See Our Editorial PolicyMeet Our Health Expert Network

Oyetewa Asempa, MD, FAAD

Medical Reviewer

Dr. Oyetewa Asempa is an assistant professor of dermatology at Baylor College of Medicine, and the director of the Skin of Color Clinic for Baylor's department of dermatology. She was born and raised in Atlanta and then went on to graduate summa cum laude from Howard University in Washington, DC.

She completed her medical training at University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, during which time she also completed a year of research at the National Institutes of Health. She completed her internship at George Washington University, and then her residency training at the Harvard dermatology program, where she served as chief resident in her final year.

She specializes in hair loss and scalp disorders, as well as pigmentary disorders in patients of color. She has spoken at multiple national conferences. Outside of medicine, she enjoys writing short stories, as well as writing and performing spoken word poetry.

See full bio

Kristeen Cherney, PhD

Author
Kristeen Cherney, PhD, is a freelance writer, essayist, author, and poet with more than 15 years of health writing experience for digital platforms such as Healthline, The Mighty, and LiveStrong. She’s covered nutrition, women’s and children’s wellness issues, as well as specialized topics ranging from diabetes and thyroid disease to anxiety, depression, asthma, allergies, and skin conditions.

With a doctorate in English (rhetoric and composition), Dr. Cherney focuses her academic scholarship on the intersection between disability and literacy. She also holds a Master of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Arts in communication.

Cherney has contributed to the books The Wiley Handbook on Violence in Education: Forms, Factors, and Preventions, Composing in Four Acts: Readings for Writers, and Georgia State University's Guide to First-Year Writing, as well as to scholarly journals like Praxis, the Journal of Teaching Writing, and the Journal of Dracula Studies.

Cherney enjoys running, meditating, hiking, and paddleboarding.
See full bio
See Our Editorial PolicyMeet Our Health Expert Network