Jean Smart Recalls Her Doctor Suggesting She 'Terminate' Her Pregnancy Due to Having Type 1 Diabetes
Jean Smart Recalls Her Doctor Suggesting She 'Terminate' Her Pregnancy Due to Having Type 1 Diabetes
Hannah SacksWed, May 6, 2026 at 6:21 PM UTC
0
Jean Smart and her son Connor.Credit: Gilbert Flores/Variety/Penske Media via Getty -
Jean Smart recalls her doctor suggesting she end her pregnancy due to risks from her type 1 diabetes
The actress recalls being terrified, but decided continuing the pregnancy was her only option
Smart credits a specialist in diabetic pregnancies for guiding her through the challenging experience
Jean Smart is sharing that one of her doctors suggested she end her pregnancy when she was expecting her son Connor.
While appearing on a Wednesday, May 6, episode of Julia Louis-Dreyfus' podcast Wiser Than Me, the Hacks star, 74, recalled how she was urged to "terminate" her pregnancy because of her type 1 diabetes diagnosis.
"First of all, I was terrified because I'm a type 1 diabetic," said Smart. "And I got pregnant in an unplanned way. My doctor almost stopped speaking to me because that's a big no-no if you're diabetic."
"And he just like, freaked out on me and started telling me that, you know, my baby was going to have heart problems, and I was gonna go blind," she continued. "And I was gonna lose my kidneys. I was gonna have kidney failure and I was gonna go blind, possibly."
— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Connor Gilliland, Jean Smart and Forrest Gilliland pose at the opening night after party for "Call Me Izzy" on Broadway at VERSA on June 12, 2025 in New York City.Credit: Bruce Glikas/WireImage
Louis-Dreyfus then asked if that was all true, and if Smart's pregnancy was really risky.
"Apparently, you know, he had patients that had gone through that," replied the comedian. "And because my blood sugars were not in good control, and sometimes it's weeks that go by before you find out you're pregnant. You think, 'Oh my God, what has happened to this poor kid in the time I didn't know I was pregnant?'"
Smart's doctor sent her to a doctor who worked at a clinic in Santa Barbara, where they specialize in type 1 diabetes research, and specifically in pregnancy.
Advertisement
"And she said, 'I think you should start over.' That was her euphemism for..." Smart explained, trailing off.
"Terminate the pregnancy?" asked Louis-Dreyfus.
"It just was not something that I...it's just not an option for me," Smart said. "And all I remember was that I don't remember leaving that room. My poor husband. All I remember is the next thing I knew, literally, was pacing outside the clinic, screaming at the top of my lungs."
Louis-Dreyfus then asked how Smart ended up handling her pregnancy.
"I had to become the poster child for pregnant diabetics," said the actress. "And she became my hero. She held my hand through that pregnancy. I was on the phone with her every single solitary day."
According to the American Diabetes Association, if you have diabetes, a healthy pregnancy and baby are possible so long as you "take steps to follow a healthy eating plan, stay physically active, and manage your blood glucose (blood sugar)."
Smart shares her two sons, Connor and Forrest Gilliland, with her late husband, Richard Gilliland, who died in 2021.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
