Key Takeaways

• These stars are using their platforms to raise awareness about PCOS and challenge stigma around reproductive health.
• Victoria Monét and Bebe Rexha have spoken candidly about how PCOS affects their bodies and mental health.
• KJ Smith shared her fertility journey and how she is managing PCOS through supplements and stress reduction.

Polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, impacts millions of women worldwide. In fact, one in every 10 women lives with the condition, yet so many cases go undetected or misdiagnosed.

Every woman’s experience with polycystic ovary syndrome looks different, from symptoms to treatment and overall impact. For example, artists like Victoria Monét and Bebe Rexha have opened up about dealing with weight fluctuations and body image struggles caused by PCOS.

Meanwhile, Keke Palmer shared how physical symptoms such as adult acne and facial hair under her chin led her to seek medical help. “The least harmful thing PCOS can bring is acne,” the actress shared on Instagram in 2020. “To all the people struggling with this, please know you’re not alone.”

Below, REVOLT rounded up what five women in Hollywood and music have had to say about living with PCOS, in their own words.

1. Lori Harvey

Lori Harvey revealed that she was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome during an appearance on “SHE MD.” Her OBGYN and the show’s co-host, Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi, was actually the one who informed her that she also had endometriosis. During the conversation, the model and Skin by LH founder said she’s had “the most excruciating periods” since she was 16 and that her symptoms were ignored by doctors for years.

“Every single time, I felt like I needed to go to the hospital with just crazy cramps,” Harvey shared, explaining that she was taking around 800 milligrams of ibuprofen. “Nothing is working,” she said. Doctors repeatedly advised her, “Oh, just take some Tylenol, you’ll be fine,” but she knew better: “There’s no way this is normal.”

“I remember the first appointment I had, I’m thinking, ‘You know, this is going to be a routine checkup.’ And she was like, ‘Oh, honey, let me tell you. There’s quite a few things going on here,’” Harvey said of her initial visit with Dr. Aliabadi. “That’s when she told me I had PCOS and endometriosis.” After finally managing her symptoms and inflammation, she shared, “I feel good in my body, finally, for once.”

2. Keke Palmer

Keke Palmer knew there was “something deeper going on” after experiencing two specific symptoms: stubborn adult acne and, perhaps more surprisingly, facial hair. On “The Tamron Hall Show,” the actress explained that there are “a bunch of different variants” of PCOS, some of which cause women to produce more testosterone and less estrogen.

“For me to have dealt with acne past puberty in the way that I did, there had to be something deeper going on,” Palmer shared. “And that's when I came upon PCOS and also things that I needed to change in terms of my diet.” Hall applauded Palmer for her honesty, noting how impactful it was for her to share that initial selfie with no makeup on Instagram to remind other women they’re not alone.

Opening up about her decision, Palmer said, “It was to empower myself and to give myself the opportunity to say, ‘You know what? Just own who you are, love yourself.’” She also acknowledged there might be a genetic link, given that her sister has the condition too.

3. Victoria Monét

Victoria Monét admitted that having polycystic ovary syndrome can often leave her feeling “frustrated,” but she’s also found a brighter side. After her 2024 Coachella performance, the “On My Mama” singer addressed her PCOS-related weight gain via her Instagram Stories.

“I gained a lot of weight, and it went a lot of places… Face, arms, tummy, and most effectively… [that a**],” she joked. “I usually am so critical and frustrated by it because PCOS has me really messed up, but optimistically, at least now there are two moons on the stage.” Leave it to the Grammy-winning songstress to find some sunshine on a rainy day.

4. KJ Smith

“Sistas” star KJ Smith initially had some hesitation around having children, especially since she was a bit older and dealing with both fibroids and PCOS. Luckily, she met the right person — her husband, Skyh Black — and the couple welcomed their first child together in October 2025.

“Every doctor I went to [was] like, ‘You have fibroids on the uterus. You know, you’re going to have an issue with getting pregnant, or you may not be able to get pregnant,’” she explained on “The Keep It Positive Sweetie.” Smith later explained that she started going to the fertility clinic before she and her husband ever really began trying to get pregnant, to which a doctor recommended she pursue IVF.

Elsewhere in the interview, Smith opened up about her journey toward “healing” her PCOS. She shared that it included taking inositol — a supplement commonly used to improve insulin sensitivity — along with “a lot more magnesium.” The actress added, “And for Black women, we have to release the stress. We cannot be everyone’s superhero.”

5. Bebe Rexha

Being a woman in entertainment is already tough, but for Bebe Rexha, managing constant criticism about her weight while living with PCOS made it even harder. “I remember starting out and getting my first record deal. They kind of put it in my head,” she said during "Gayle King in the House." According to Rexha, her label told her flat-out, “You need to lose 20 lbs. in order to do this career.”

“I just found out recently that I have PCOS, and a lot of women have it. And a lot of women have it and don't know," she shared earlier. "It's tough. I think for me, I've been definitely struggling with my weight, and I've been struggling with food forever."

Those conversations about Rexha's weight came up again after the 2025 Met Gala, when some social media users tried to body-shame her. Soon after, the Bebe artist revealed that she had previously experienced a pregnancy loss. "I have PCOS and struggle with infertility," Rexha shared in a now-deleted tweet, according to E! News. "I got pregnant, and it didn’t work out, and I’ve been carrying that pain in silence.”