Tom Hanks Jokes About Diabetes Diagnosis On Letterman

Tom Hanks won’t let his Type 2 diabetes diagnosis get him down.

The actor appeared on David Letterman’s Late Show this week to talk about his new movie Captain Phillips, but while he was there revealed to the audience that he had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

Tom Hanks was telling Letterman about his recent weight loss, which is obvious in the new movie, and in doing so explained that he has been taking better care of his health since the diagnosis.

Hanks, now 57, said he has been struggling with high blood sugar for more than 20 years now.

Though the diagnosis is a serious one, Tom Hanks still had the ability to joke about it.

“Something’s going to kill us all, Dave,” Hanks told Letterman.

Hanks added that his doctor had some difficult demands in fighting the disease — she suggested that he drop down to his high school weight.

“And I said to her, ‘Well I’m gonna have Type 2 diabetes,’ ” Hanks joked. “There was no way I was gonna weigh what I weighed in high school…. I was 96 pounds.”

Hanks isn’t the only celebrity with a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis. He joins fellow stars Sherri Shepherd, Biz Markie, and Drew Carey who are also fighting the disease. Chef Paula Deen is one of the most notable celebrities with Type 2 diabetes, as she made her diagnosis and subsequent health changes public.

Tom Hanks isn’t letting the diabetes diagnosis get in the way of his work. He has three producing projects in the works, including serving as executive producer for a mini-series about famous boxer Jack Johnson.