All Of Ricki Lake's Health Problems, Explained

The following article includes discussions of suicide and mental health.

Ricki Lake has had a full life and career, but that doesn't mean she's been immune from suffering mental and physical anguish. Lake has gone through heartbreaking experiences in her life, many of which took a toll on her mental health. In January 2025, the '90s talk show host found herself among the many who lost their homes in the wildfires that raged through Los Angeles. Lake and her husband, Ross Burningham, were shattered. So much so that they decided to start their lives over.

The "Hairspray" alum and Burningham packed up their belongings and moved across the country to New York. "What we have been through from the start of the year was so traumatic and we were so at a loss of where we were going to go," she told People in January 2026. Little by little, she began recovering from the traumatic event and finding her footing. But this wasn't the first time her mental health tanked. Following the tragic death by suicide of Lake's second husband in 2017 after years of struggles with bipolar disorder, she fell into a deep depression she had never experienced before.

"There were days when I couldn't get out of bed, and that is a very scary place to be," she told People in 2019. After both traumatic events, Lake used her experience to raise awareness of mental health. After moving to New York, she became involved with the nonprofit Community Access, which helps people suffering from mental illness find housing and jobs. But Lake's own mental health has been further affected by a chronic condition. 

In addition to her mental health struggles, Ricki Lake has suffered from severe hair loss. In January 2020, she opened up about the chronic condition she had dealt with for decades in secret. "I have been suffering. Suffering mostly in silence off and on for almost 30 years," she captioned a since-deleted Instagram post that included pictures of her newly shaved head (via CNN). She expressed the different ways the condition had affected her emotionally.

Like her ex-husband's death and loss of her Malibu home, the hair loss took a severe toll on her mental health. "It has been debilitating, embarrassing, painful, scary, depressing, lonely, all the things," she continued in the lengthy caption (via NBC News). "There have been a few times where I have even felt suicidal over it." Lake attributed her condition to a combination of factors, including genetics, extreme diets, pregnancy, birth control, stress, dyes and extensions. Over the years, she tried all kinds of treatments, from steroid shots and Rogaine to supplements.

While some of it helped at first, her hair would eventually begin to shed again, forcing her to resort to extensions and wigs. "It was maddening," she wrote. Lake kept her pain mostly to herself out of shame. "I was afraid of coming out," she told People in 2022. "Because no woman as far as I knew had ever gone public about female baldness." But coming clean helped Lake find self-acceptance. "I truly appreciate what I see in the mirror now," she said. 

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts or needs help with mental health, contact the relevant resources below:

• Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.
• Contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.