Celebrities Who Have the Neurological Disability Misophonia and Suffer From Extreme Sensitivity to Sounds

Many people find the sounds of chewing or slurping quite irritating – but for some, the sounds can be exhausting.

The technical term for the condition is misophonia, and it is defined as a strong sensitivity to sounds like chewing, coughing, yawning, and more. Those who suffer from it experience strong and unpleasant emotional, physiological and behavioral reactions to sound and sometimes visual triggers.

In extreme cases, people with misophonia may need cognitive behavioral therapy to manage the condition.

Here are some celebrities who have publicly shared their experiences with the condition and how it has affected their lives.

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Melissa Gilbert

The Little House on the Prairie actress told PEOPLE that she secretly struggled while filming the beloved TV series.

“If one of the kids was chewing gum or eating or tapping their nails on the table, I’d be dying to run,” Gilbert said. “I would turn beet red and my eyes would fill with tears and I would just sit there feeling absolutely miserable and terribly guilty that I felt so much hatred for all these people – people I loved.”

It was “a really dark and difficult part of my childhood,” she added.

Melissa Gilbert reveals she has neurological disability Misophonia: ‘A dark and difficult part of my childhood’ (Exclusive)

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Kelly Ripa

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve been bothered by certain eating sounds,” Kelly revealed during a 2012 interview with ABC’s 20/20. “The sounds of people chewing gum can really make me mad.”

The mom of three explained that if one of her children chews too loudly or even swallows, “my instinctive reaction is to yell, but I control it,” she said. “If my husband eats a peach, I have to leave the room.”

A longtime pal of Ripa added: “It might sound funny, but it’s not! Kelly can get mad at anyone for something as simple as chewing with her mouth open. Mark has to stay calm and explain to the people that Kelly isn’t really mad at them. It’s something she just can’t control, but it’s led to yelling and screaming…and tears.”

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Christina Applegate’s daughter Sadie

During a June 2024 appearance on MeSsy, a podcast hosted by Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler, the 13-year-old revealed that she suffers from misophonia.

“My misophonia is so awful. I hate it so much, it’s one of my worst struggles in my life,” she explained, noting that earlier in the day she couldn’t focus because of the hum of the house vacuum cleaner.

It also causes problems at school.

“I think my two are the worst [sounds] they breathe and chew. I can’t deal with breathing and chewing, even my own,” Sadie said, telling listeners that she often wears noise-cancelling headphones when she’s down.

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Kelly Osbourne

Osbourne revealed she was diagnosed with misophonia after her brother Jack told her about the condition.

“For years, the sound of other people chewing, chewing, slurping and gargling made me really anxious and tense,” she said during the 2015 Friendly House Woman of the Year Gala Luncheon. “People told me I was crazy, but now I’ve actually been diagnosed with an illness and it’s a real medical phobia called misophonia.”

“I’ve walked up to people I don’t know and ripped the gum out of their mouths,” Osbourne said on a British talk show. Relaxed women. “It makes my knees wobble and make me sweat. Don’t ask, that’s another tick on my crazy box. I can’t stand it, it drives me crazy.”

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Melanie Lynskey

During the appearance at the 2018 Jimmy Kimmel Livethe actress’s husband, Jason Ritter, revealed that she suffers from misophonia, explaining that the worst sound that can be made around her is smacking her lips.

“They hear it 20 times louder than you and it drives them crazy,” he said. “It’ll turn someone off with misophonia. Just a blank stare, an inner rage, if you do.”

Ritter also noted that “chewing gum drives her crazy” and that she often struggles with eating at restaurants because of the loud chewing.

Lynskey later explained that “it’s a brain condition where you can’t understand anything else when you hear a harsh noise.” She also praised Ritter for “never being annoyed by my strange condition.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education