Yes, Celiac Disease is a Real Thing. Did a Joke About it Go Too Far?

I will preface what I’m about to say with a disclaimer: I understand that sometimes people make jokes. I understand that comedy is about exaggeration. I understand that not everything needs to be taken quite so literally.

But I also understand how delicate health information is…and how quickly misinformation spreads.

I know that, generally speaking, serious health conditions aren’t fair game for comedy fodder. And I get why so many people who have gluten intolerances, or celiac disease — or who love someone who has the condition, or who simply care about combating health stigma or misinformation — are upset right now.

Here's why: Comedian Robby Hoffman recently appeared on Call Her Daddy. During her appearance, host Alex Cooper asked her a series of questions, asking Hoffman to say whether something is “great” or “jail”. 

When Cooper asked how Hoffman would categorize someone who is allergic to gluten, Hoffman said “No, it can’t be done. Is it real?...I got to see. Everybody is celiac.” Hoffman joked (and yes, she cleared up that she was joking) that she would need to see someone blow up a la Will Smith’s character in Hitch in order to believe in the existence of gluten intolerances. 

Okay, let’s unpack this. First things first: celiac disease is real. It is an autoimmune disease, and it can be incredibly serious. According to Cleveland Clinic, when someone who has celiac disease consumes gluten, an immune response is triggered. In time, this can lead to serious complications.

I imagine it’s really frustratingly common for those who have celiac disease to have people questioning whether it’s “real”, or assuming you’re just saying you have the disease so you can avoid gluten, which has become something of a trendy move (often for weight loss or "anti-inflammatory" purposes). Hoffman’s comments are a joke, but for people who have already been made to feel like their conditions are not taken seriously, I imagine they really struck a nerve.

Hoffman calls out the fact that so many people seem to have suddenly developed the condition. But maybe part of that too is the fact that we have social media now: There’s so much more visibility around these conditions. 

Hoffman may not have intended to be insensitive, but people who can’t have gluten are chiming in the comments on the YouTube video to set the record straight. “Happy celiac awareness month y’all. Except for, I guess, the awareness part. I don’t eat gluten because I have an autoimmune disease and like not dying of colon cancer. Not because it’s trendy or cool,” one person writes. 

Another adds: “I wish people would stop perpetuating the idea that celiac disease is a food trend and not a serious autoimmune disease. Sure, your face might not blow up, but your belly might! You might also develop cancer, seizures, infertility, osteoporosis, lose your intestines or a plethora of other issues  Not to mention the social impact of not being able to safely go out to eat with friends or eat at your family's house.”

Those perspectives are important. They’re worth listening to. And yeah, the podcast host and guest here for making a joke. But maybe…just maybe, health issues with such serious repercussions aren’t things we should joke about. Especially not when we’re talking about conditions that are already not taken seriously.