Olivia Munn, 12 Other Celebrities Who Had Mastectomies Amid Breast Cancer Scare
Olivia Munn announced this week that she underwent a double mastectomy, joining many other stars who went through the surgery.
A mastectomy is used to treat or prevent breast cancer and involves the removal of all breast tissue from a breast, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Over the years, several celebrities have opened up about having mastectomies amid concerns about breast cancer.
Here are 13 stars who have undergone mastectomies.
1. Olivia Munn
Munn took to Instagram Wednesday to share that she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year.
The "X-Men: Apocalypse" actress, 43, tested negative for the BRCA gene -- mutations in which are linked cancer -- and had a "normal mammogram."
But Munn said her doctor "saved [her] life" when she decided to calculate the actress' Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score and found that her lifetime risk was at 37%.
After undergoing a series of tests, it was determined that Munn had an "aggressive, fast-moving" form of cancer in both breasts.
A month later, she underwent a double mastectomy. She said she has had four surgeries in total in the past 10 months.
"I went from feeling completely fine one day, to waking up in a hospital bed after a 10-hour surgery the next," Munn wrote in her post. "I'm lucky. We caught it with enough time that I had options. I want the same for any woman who might have to face this one day."
2. Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie revealed that she underwent a preventive double mastectomy in a 2013 op-ed published in The New York Times.
The then-37-year-old Oscar winner said she made the decision to go through the procedure after learning that she carries a mutation of the BRCA1 gene.
Doctors estimated that Jolie had an 87% risk of developing breast cancer and a 50% risk of ovarian cancer, according to the actress.
Jolie's mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died of ovarian cancer in 2007 at the age of 56.
A few months after her double mastectomy, Jolie underwent "reconstruction of the breasts with an implant."
According to Jolie, getting the double mastectomy lowered her risk of breast cancer from 87% to 5%.
"I can tell my children that they don't need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer," she wrote.
3. Wanda Sykes
Like Munn, Wanda Sykes had a double mastectomy after she was found to have ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), or stage-zero cancer, in her left breast in 2011.
The actress-comedian, then 47, made the revelation during an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."
According to Sykes, the DCIS was detected after she had gone to the hospital to get a breast reduction.
Sykes ultimately decided to undergo a bilateral mastectomy due to the history of breast cancer on her mother's side of the family.
4. Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2008.
The cancer was caught at an early stage, and the then-36-year-old actress had a lumpectomy -- a surgery to remove a breast cancer tumor.
However, she later learned that she tested positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation, which led to her decision to have both breasts removed two months after her diagnosis.
"I have taken a very progressive stance in the rest of my life," she said on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." "For that, I'm really grateful."
5. Rita Wilson
Rita Wilson underwent a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery in 2015.
The decision came after Tom Hanks' wife, then 58, was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma.
At the time, Wilson said in a statement to People that she followed her "gut" and decided to get a second opinion despite her initial tests showing no cancer.
Wilson urged others to get a second opinion, which she described as "critical to your health."
"You have nothing to lose if both opinions match up for the good, and everything to gain if something that was missed is found, which does happen. Early diagnosis is key," she said.
6. Sharon Osbourne
Another celebrity who had a preventive double mastectomy was Sharon Osbourne.
During a 2012 interview with Hello! magazine, the former "X Factor" judge said the decision to have both breasts removed was a "no-brainer" after she learned that she carried the genetic mutation that raised her risk of breast cancer.
The then-60-year-old media personality had been diagnosed with colon cancer in 2002.
"For me, it wasn't a big decision, it was a no-brainer. I didn't want to live the rest of my life with that shadow hanging over me. I want to be around for a long time and be a grandmother to Pearl," Osbourne said, referring to her son Jack's daughter.
She added, "I didn't even think of my breasts in a nostalgic way, I just wanted to be able to live my life without that fear all the time. It's not 'pity me,' it's a decision I made that's got rid of this weight that I was carrying around."
7. Giuliana Rancic
Giuliana Rancic went public with her breast cancer and double mastectomy diagnosis in 2011.
The E! News co-host and reality TV star, then 37, told "Today" at the time that the cancer was caught while she was getting fertility treatments.
In 2019, Rancic opened up about being seven years cancer-free, telling People that she was "able to look back" and feel grateful to be healthy instead of being "consumed" by her diagnosis.
Following her surgery, Rancic launched the FAB-U-WISH foundation, which works with The Pink Agenda to grant wishes to women affected by breast cancer.
8. Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John underwent a partial mastectomy and breast reconstruction in 1992 after she was first diagnosed with breast cancer at age 33.
The actress-singer was declared cancer-free at the time, but in 2013, her breast cancer returned.
After overcoming the disease for the second time, the "Grease" star was diagnosed with cancer for the third time in 2017. By then, the cancer had spread to her bones.
Newton-John passed away in August 2022. She was 73.
9. Hoda Kotb
Hoda Kotb had a mastectomy in 2007 after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
This was followed by reconstructive surgery that required doctors to make a hip-to-hip incision.
During a 2022 episode of "Today with Hoda and Jenna," the TV host admitted she was "horrified" when she first saw her body following the surgery.
"You don't see it as, 'The cancer's gone' -- in that moment, you just see the scar only and you don't think that you'll ever feel good about yourself because you're always going to be hiding," Kotb explained.
But Kotb said her partner at the time and a family friend helped kickstart her journey of self-acceptance.
"Now I look at my scars and I'm happy," Kotb said in the episode.
10. Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Louis-Dreyfus was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017.
Following a double mastectomy and six rounds of chemotherapy, she was declared cancer-free in October 2018.
During a conversation at the 2023 New Yorker Festival, the "Veep" star said her first reaction to receiving her diagnosis was to laugh before becoming "hysterical" and crying.
Six years later, Louis-Dreyfus said she was "enjoying things more" and making sure not to get too stressed.
"I'm just very focused on ... trying to enjoy my life as much as possible," Louis-Dreyfus said last year.
11. Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple had her left breast removed in 1972 at age 44 after a malignant tumor was discovered.
The actress became one of the first public figures to talk about having a mastectomy, which was once a taboo health subject.
At the time, she opened up about her procedure in the hope that others suffering from the disease would also seek treatment.
"It is very hard to accept this psychologically," Temple said at the time, according to The New York Times, "but, on the other hand, it had to be done. You don't let vanity get in your way. It's not so bad."
12. Amy Robach
Amy Robach was 40 when she learned she had breast cancer and decided to undergo a bilateral mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.
The cancer was caught when the then-"Good Morning America" anchor got a mammogram during the show in October 2013 as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Ahead of her double mastectomy in November that year, Robach said on "GMA" that she had "a lot to fight for" and decided to be "very aggressive" against the disease.
13. Kathy Bates
Kathy Bates overcame ovarian cancer in 2004, but less than a decade later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
The Oscar winner had a double mastectomy at 64 shortly after receiving her second cancer diagnosis.
During an appearance on "The Kelly Clarkson Show" in 2019, Bates encouraged women to pay attention to their health, noting that she tested negative for the genetic mutation linked to breast cancer before she was diagnosed.
