Stars with Hearing Loss: 10 Celebrities Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Updated: December 13, 2023
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According to the Hearing Loss Association of America, approximately 48 million people in the United States alone report some degree of hearing loss—almost 20% of our population! Statistically, this means there are quite a few deaf celebrities. Take a look at our compilation of 10 celebrities you didn’t realize have hearing loss:
1. Bill Clinton
2. Derrick Coleman
Derrick Coleman, Jr. is currently the only Deaf player in the National Football League (NFL), as well as the first Deaf offensive player in NFL history. Born with a genetic abnormality that caused complete hearing loss at 3 years old, Coleman started playing & fell in love with football in 6th grade. Throughout his school years, he fought against the odds in a sport that is traditionally inaccessible to Deaf people and Coleman continued on to play for UCLA. Although he was the last college player to be accepted in the 2012 NFL draft, Coleman became a Superbowl champion 2 years later with the Seattle Seahawks’ 2014 victory. Currently, Coleman is signed with the Arizona Cardinals.
3. Halle Berry
4. Jane Lynch
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5. Marlee Matlin
6. Nyle DiMarco
7. Millie Bobby Brown
British actress and model, Millie Bobby Brown, best known for playing the character Eleven in the series Stranger Things, was born with partial hearing loss in one of her ears. Over several years, she eventually completely lost hearing on that side. When she’s performing, she can’t fully hear herself, but, she hasn’t let that slow her down.
8. Stephen Colbert
9. William Shatner
10. Jennifer Lawrence
While filming The Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire, Jennifer Lawrence revealed that she temporarily lost her hearing due to an injury and multiple ear infections. A water jet punctured her eardrum while performing the film’s underwater stunts. Lawrence has since made a full recovery.
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This blog post was originally published by Patrick Loftus on May 22, 2017, and has since been updated for accuracy, clarity, and freshness.
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