Viola Davis Opens Up About Shingles Diagnosis and Challenging the 'Strong Black Woman' Expectation

Award-winning actress Viola Davis has revealed her past battles with shingles, detailing how the painful viral condition forced her to rethink the pervasive expectation for Black women to remain stoic in times of distress. In an interview with theGrio, the 61-year-old EGOT winner shared her perspective while launching 'Shingles, actually,' an awareness campaign created in partnership with pharmaceutical company GSK and filmmaker Maya Table. Davis explained to theGrio that her first encounter with shingles occurred over ten years ago.

At the time, she was navigating early motherhood with her husband after adopting her daughter, Genesis, alongside a demanding Hollywood career following her breakout performance in 'The Help.' Davis recalled initially assuming a rash on her body was merely a spider bite before it expanded across her stomach and back. She described the severity of the discomfort as reaching a 9 out of 10, noting that simple movements such as getting out of bed, lying down, or wearing clothes caused excruciating pain.

According to the Mayo Clinic, shingles is caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus, which can lie dormant in the body for years. Symptoms often present as a painful rash accompanied by fever, headaches, and burning sensations, with nerve pain sometimes lingering for months or years. Davis told theGrio that the health crisis prompted her to seek medical counsel, calling her doctor her primary teacher in understanding the condition.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that approximately one out of three people in the United States will develop shingles during their lifetime, with vulnerability increasing after age 50. The CDC advises two doses of the Shingrix vaccine for adults aged 50 and older, as well as individuals aged 19 and older who have weakened immune systems. The vaccine holds a reported efficacy rate of over 90 percent in healthy adults aged 50 and above.

Reflecting on the emotional toll, Davis noted to theGrio that Black women frequently feel compelled to display invincibility out of fear that no external support system exists to assist them. She emphasized that prioritizing personal wellness and seeking professional medical guidance is a vital act of self-care rather than a sign of weakness. Known for portraying powerful characters such as Annalise Keating in 'How to Get Away with Murder,' Veronica Rawlings, and General Nanisca in 'The Woman King,' Davis stated that she now makes a conscious point to honor her body's signals by consulting health professionals promptly for both physical and mental well-being.

Through the new initiative, Davis hopes to encourage adults—particularly Black women who often carry caretaking burdens for others—to take preventative health steps, schedule routine medical visits, and discuss vaccination options with their healthcare providers.