Lauren Weedman Shares Update on Bell's Palsy Diagnosis, Says She’s Unable to Fully Smile: ‘I’ve Accepted It More’ (Exclusive)

Kimberlee SpeakmanThu, April 9, 2026 at 5:02 PM UTC

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Lauren Weedman attends the Los Angeles Premiere Of HBO's "Hacks" Season 5 at on April 08, 2026Credit: Alberto Rodriguez/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty -

Lauren Weedman shared an update on her health at the L.A. premiere of Hacks season 5 after being diagnosed with Bell's palsy in August 2024

The actress shared that she has "permanent nerve damage" and so some things, including smiling, are more difficult for her

She also shared how her outlook on her diagnosis has changed nearly two years later with the help of other celebrities and her family

Lauren Weedman has come a long way with dealing with her Bell’s palsy diagnosis.

The 57-year-old actress, who was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy in August 2024, shared an update on her health as well as her outlook on her diagnosis nearly two years later.

“I have permanent nerve damage,” Weedman told PEOPLE at the Los Angeles Premiere of HBO's Hacks season 5 on Wednesday, April 8. “And so, I'll never have a smile thing.”

“The [photographer] down there said, ‘Give us a smile, big smile.’ I was like, ‘I have a disability.’ And I was like, ‘But I've accepted it more,’ ” she added.

Lauren Weedman at the Max Original Comedy Series "Hacks" Season 5 Los Angeles Premiere held on April 08, 2026Credit: Jesse Grant/Variety via Getty

Weedman admitted that it took some time to accept her Bell’s palsy diagnosis, which is a sudden paralysis or weakness of the facial muscles, usually on one side of the face, according to John Hopkins Medicine.

“I was secretly very sad,” she explained. “I didn't realize I was sad until the physical therapist kept going, ‘It's a chronic condition. It's never going to go away, Lauren. You're always going to have this.’ And I was like, ‘I don't know how to even process that.’ ”

“And to think you're not going to look like you, is such a... but that's aging too, so it's going hand-in-hand,” she continued. “But yeah, I feel like I had a couple nights where I got some come to Jesus moments.”

However, there are other celebrities who shared some positivity with her, including actor Joe Mantegna, who was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy in 1988 while starring in the play Speed-the-Plow.

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“He's an actor who has permanent nerve damage as well from Bell's palsy. And I saw him at a party and I went right to him,” Weedman recalled. “... And he said to me, he goes, ‘Don't worry, this is your face. It's a good face and you got to accept it.’

"He goes, ‘It is what it is. It is what it is.’ And something about him — such a good actor too. So to me, that I was like, ‘Thank you,’ ” she added.

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Lauren Weedman attends the 2024 Vulture Festival Los Angeles at Nya Studios on November 17, 2024Credit: Harmony Gerber/Getty

He isn't the only one who has shown her support, as her son, Leo, also previously quipped to her: “Mom, it’s no big deal. This is your Bell’s palsy era, that’s all.”

Since receiving her diagnosis, Weedman’s Bell’s palsy has been written into her characters on Hacks, Abbot Elementary and Sirens. She praised the Hacks team in particular for hiring her regardless of her condition.

“... I had Bell's palsy in the show, the way that [Hacks] was the first show I was allowed that I was asked to be on and they didn't care that I had it going on, which was incredible,” Weedman said.

Hacks season 5 premieres on HBO Max on April 9.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”