Celebrities Who Live With Cerebral Palsy and Their Inspiring Stories

Cerebral palsy affects approximately 1 in 345 children in the United States, according to the CDC. This neurological condition impacts movement, muscle tone, and posture due to damage to the developing brain, most often occurring before birth. While cerebral palsy presents real challenges, countless individuals with CP have achieved remarkable success across entertainment, sports, activism, and the arts.

The celebrities featured below didn’t just overcome obstacles. They built careers, changed industries, and shifted how society views disability. Their stories offer perspective on what’s possible and demonstrate that CP doesn’t define a person’s potential or future.

1. RJ Mitte and His Role Breaking Stereotypes on Breaking Bad

RJ Mitte became a household name playing Walter White Jr. on AMC’s Breaking Bad from 2008 to 2013. Born in 1992 via cesarean section, Mitte experienced oxygen deprivation at birth that resulted in brain damage. He received his cerebral palsy diagnosis at age three and used leg braces and crutches throughout his childhood.

His portrayal on Breaking Bad was significant because it featured a character with a disability living a normal teenage life, not defined solely by his condition. The role earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble. Since the show ended, he’s appeared in numerous films and television productions and modeled for major brands including Gap and Vivienne Westwood.

Beyond his acting career, Mitte dedicates significant time to advocacy work. He partners with United Cerebral Palsy and I AM PWD (Inclusion in the Arts and Media of Performers With Disabilities) to expand opportunities for actors with disabilities. His advocacy focuses on increasing representation in entertainment and building self-esteem among young people living with CP.

2. Maysoon Zayid’s Comedy Career and Viral TED Talk

Maysoon Zayid lost oxygen during birth, which led to her cerebral palsy diagnosis. She went on to become one of America’s first female Muslim comedians and made history as the first person to perform stand-up comedy in both Palestine and Jordan.

Her 2013 TED Talk titled “I got 99 problems… palsy is just one” has reached over 1 billion views, making her one of the most influential voices in disability rights and representation. The talk addresses her experiences with CP, discrimination, and success with humor and candor that resonated globally.

Zayid co-founded the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival and continues to perform internationally. She uses her platform to challenge assumptions about what people with disabilities can accomplish and advocates for better representation in media.

3. Justin Gallegos Becomes Nike’s First Professional Athlete With Cerebral Palsy

In 2018, Justin Gallegos made history when he became the first professional athlete with cerebral palsy to sign with Nike. His journey to that moment started from a place where walking was difficult. As a child, he needed crutches to walk and struggled to place one foot in front of the other.

Gallegos started running during high school as a way to reduce his CP symptoms and build muscle strength. The activity that once seemed impossible became his passion and eventually his career. He has completed multiple half-marathons and finished a full marathon in Chicago in 2019.

His partnership with Nike goes beyond personal sponsorship. Gallegos collaborates with the company to develop adaptive footwear that serves athletes with disabilities. He also works as an ambassador for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation, creating pathways for others with CP who want to pursue athletics.

4. Josh Blue Wins Last Comic Standing and Changes Comedy

Josh Blue won NBC’s Last Comic Standing in 2006, bringing his unique perspective on living with spastic cerebral palsy to a national audience. Diagnosed at birth, Blue built a comedy career using self-deprecating humor about his disability to challenge stereotypes and create conversations about CP.

His comedy doesn’t shy away from his disability but instead uses it as material to connect with audiences and break down uncomfortable barriers. Blue has released multiple comedy specials and tours nationally, maintaining a successful career in an industry that historically excluded people with disabilities.

In interviews, Blue acknowledges that while CP presents real challenges, he recognizes his privilege in having access to food, shelter, and opportunities that allowed him to build his career.

5 & 6. British Comedians Francesca Martinez and Rosie Jones

The UK has produced two prominent comedians with cerebral palsy who have significantly impacted entertainment and disability advocacy.

Francesca Martinez appeared in Ricky Gervais’s Extras and won the Daily Telegraph’s Open Mic Award at the Edinburgh Festival. She performs internationally and authored “What the **** is Normal?”, a book that received multiple national book award nominations. Her work questions societal standards of normalcy and challenges audiences to reconsider their assumptions about disability.

Rosie Jones has presented several shows for UK television and uses her visibility to raise awareness about disability issues. Both comedians demonstrate how humor can serve as a powerful tool for advocacy and social change.

7. Geri Jewell Breaks Television Barriers in the 1980s

Geri Jewell became the first person with cerebral palsy to secure a recurring role on prime-time television when she played Cousin Geri on The Facts of Life from 1980 to 1984. Her mother was in a car accident before Jewell was born prematurely, and she received her CP diagnosis at 18 months old.

Her groundbreaking television role opened doors for disability representation in media decades before it became a more common conversation. Beyond acting, Jewell is an award-winning author and motivational speaker who contributes regularly to Ability Magazine, continuing to advocate for disability visibility and inclusion.

8. Abbey Curran Creates Pageant Opportunities for Girls With Disabilities

Abbey Curran made history as the first contestant with cerebral palsy to compete in the Miss USA pageant. Diagnosed with a mild form of CP that affects her mobility, Curran recognized that girls with disabilities had limited opportunities to participate in events that celebrated them.

This realization led her to found the Miss You Can Do It pageant, which specifically celebrates and empowers girls with disabilities. Her work has been featured on Access Hollywood, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and other major programs, bringing attention to the importance of inclusive spaces where all young people can feel celebrated.

9. Nicolas Hamilton Races Cars Despite Severe Mobility Challenges

Nicolas Hamilton, brother of Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton, received a diagnosis of spastic diplegia cerebral palsy at 18 months after being born prematurely. He spent his early childhood in a wheelchair and didn’t walk independently until age 17 after intensive training.

Despite these significant physical challenges, Hamilton pursued a career in motorsports. He became the first driver with a disability to score a point in the British Touring Car Championship. Understanding the barriers facing aspiring drivers with disabilities, he founded a racing school specifically for disabled drivers, creating opportunities in a sport that has traditionally been inaccessible.

10. Keah Brown Launches the DisabledAndCute Movement

Keah Brown was diagnosed with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy, which affects the right side of her body. In response to harmful beauty standards and the exclusion of disabled bodies from conversations about attractiveness, she founded the viral #DisabledAndCute movement on social media.

The hashtag challenged conventional beauty standards and celebrated disabled bodies, quickly gaining traction and creating a community. Brown is also the author of “The Pretty One,” a memoir that explores self-love, disability, and identity. Her work addresses the intersection of disability with other aspects of identity and fights for more nuanced representation.

11. Dan Keplinger Creates Art Despite Severe Physical Limitations

Dan Keplinger was initially thought to be stillborn but survived with athetoid cerebral palsy due to oxygen deprivation at birth. His condition results in severe physical limitations that affect his ability to control his movements.

Despite these challenges, Keplinger became a accomplished visual artist. He uses a headstick to create paintings and communicate, developing a unique artistic style adapted to his physical abilities. His life and work were featured in the Oscar-winning documentary “King Gimp” in 1999, which brought attention to his artistic achievements and the possibilities for creative expression regardless of physical limitations.

Actors Bringing Authentic Disability Representation to Screen

Several actors with cerebral palsy have brought authentic representation to television and film in recent years:

Micah Fowler starred as JJ DiMeo on ABC’s Speechless from 2016 to 2019, a show centered on a teen with cerebral palsy navigating high school and family life. Fowler, who also has CP, brought authenticity to the role and serves as an ambassador for the Cerebral Palsy Foundation. His sister Kelsey Cardona is a Broadway actress who has performed in multiple productions.

Phoebe Rae Taylor, who has cerebral palsy, stars as Melody Brooks in Disney’s “Out of My Mind,” a film about a middle schooler with CP and a photographic memory. These casting choices represent a significant shift toward authentic disability representation, where actors with disabilities play characters with disabilities rather than having able-bodied actors attempt to portray the experience.

Additional Advocates Making a Difference

Many other individuals with cerebral palsy continue to break barriers and inspire change:

• Bonner Paddock climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and completed an Ironman triathlon, then founded a foundation supporting children with disabilities
• Mark Giovi built a career as a singer and performer, co-founding the Las Vegas Tenors
• Marisa Conners founded an inclusive women’s fashion brand that considers the needs of people with disabilities
• Marissa Lelogeais works as a musician and serves as a CPARF ambassador

What These Stories Tell Us About Cerebral Palsy Outcomes

These celebrities represent a small fraction of people living with cerebral palsy, but their visibility serves an important purpose. Their achievements demonstrate that CP doesn’t determine what someone can accomplish in life. Each person’s experience with cerebral palsy differs based on the type, severity, and which parts of the brain were affected.

The individuals featured here had access to varying levels of support, therapy, and opportunity. Some used mobility aids during childhood, others still use them today. Some have mild CP that affects only certain movements, while others navigate more severe limitations. This diversity reflects the reality that cerebral palsy exists on a spectrum, and outcomes depend on many factors including the timing and quality of intervention, access to therapies, family support, and individual circumstances.

These stories aren’t meant to set unrealistic expectations. Not everyone with CP will become a professional athlete or television star, just as most people without CP won’t either. But these individuals show that cerebral palsy doesn’t automatically limit someone’s future in predetermined ways.

Understanding How Cerebral Palsy Develops

Cerebral palsy results from damage to the developing brain, which most commonly occurs before birth. The damage affects the areas of the brain that control movement, balance, and posture. In some cases, like several of the celebrities mentioned above, oxygen deprivation during birth contributed to the brain injury that caused CP.

Oxygen deprivation, medically called hypoxia or anoxia, can occur for various reasons during pregnancy, labor, or delivery. When the brain doesn’t receive adequate oxygen for a period of time, cells can be damaged or die. If this happens in areas controlling movement, cerebral palsy may result.

Other causes of CP include infections during pregnancy, premature birth, bleeding in the brain, and certain genetic factors. In many cases, the exact cause cannot be determined. The condition is not progressive, meaning the brain damage doesn’t worsen over time, though the physical effects may change as a child grows.

Why Representation in Media Matters

The visibility of celebrities with cerebral palsy creates impact beyond individual achievement. When people with disabilities appear in mainstream entertainment, sports, and public life, it changes societal perceptions and expectations.

Representation affects how children with CP see their own futures. Seeing someone who looks like them or moves like them succeeding in a field they’re interested in expands their sense of what’s possible. It also influences how people without disabilities perceive and interact with those who have CP, potentially reducing discrimination and increasing inclusion.

The entertainment industry has historically either excluded people with disabilities or cast able-bodied actors to portray disabled characters. The shift toward authentic casting, where actors with disabilities play characters with disabilities, represents meaningful progress. It provides employment opportunities and ensures more accurate, nuanced portrayals of the disability experience.

The Ongoing Work of Disability Advocacy

Many of the individuals featured in this article dedicate significant time to advocacy work alongside their primary careers. They work with organizations, speak publicly, create inclusive programs, and use their platforms to push for systemic changes.

This advocacy addresses issues like accessibility in public spaces, employment discrimination, healthcare access, and representation in media. The work recognizes that individual achievement, while valuable, doesn’t eliminate the structural barriers that people with disabilities face daily.

Organizations like United Cerebral Palsy, the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, and the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation work toward better support, research, and opportunities for people with CP. Celebrity advocates help these organizations reach wider audiences and generate resources to support their missions.

Moving Forward With Realistic Hope

The celebrities featured here achieved remarkable things, but their stories are not meant to create pressure or unrealistic expectations. Every person with cerebral palsy has their own path, their own challenges, and their own definition of success.

What these stories do offer is evidence that cerebral palsy doesn’t determine someone’s worth, potential, or future in a fixed way. They demonstrate that with appropriate support, access to opportunities, and individual determination, people with CP can pursue their interests and build meaningful lives.

For families facing a recent diagnosis, these stories might provide hope during a difficult time. For those supporting someone with CP, they illustrate the importance of fostering independence, providing access to therapies and adaptive equipment, and maintaining high expectations while respecting individual differences.

The continued visibility of successful people with cerebral palsy gradually shifts societal attitudes, removes barriers, and creates more inclusive spaces. That collective change benefits everyone living with CP, not just those who achieve celebrity status.