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‘SNL’ star Kenan Thompson opens up about ‘painful’ health diagnosis


Kenan Thompson discusses his GERD diagnosis, diet and fitness journey, and what he does to feel his best while filming “Saturday Night Live.”

While some use moments from life to fuel their art, for the live entertainer, intense pain from gastroesophageal reflux disease holds the potential to derail his performance.“When it’s at its worst, it definitely can cause me to be hoarse a lot faster than I’d expect,” he told Prevention. “I sing to warm up for SNL so I can always gauge where my throat health is.” As an active comedian, sleepless nights due to GERD symptoms can lead to a fumble on stage. I just got tired of it,” he said.“Thank God I was able to find an actual medicine that really works,” he said of Phathom Pharmaceuticals’ Voquezna, which he is partnering with for its "GERD Is No Joke" campaign to raise awareness.

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