'Big Bang Theory' actress Kate Micucci diagnosed with lung cancer: 'Never smoked a cigarette in my life'
Kate Micucci attends the Los Angeles premiere of A24s "Dicks: The Musical" at Fine Arts Theatre on September 18, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Monica Schipper/WireImage)
"The Big Bang Theory" actress Kate Micucci revealed that she was recently diagnosed with lung cancer despite never having smoked a cigarette.
The 43-year-old actress shared a TikTok video on Saturday in which she was seen lying in a hospital bed and explained that she was recovering after undergoing lung surgery to treat the disease.
"Hey, everybody. This is not a TikTok, it's a SickTok," Micucci joked. "I'm in a hospital. It's because I had lung cancer surgery yesterday."
She continued, "They caught it really early. It's pretty weird because I've never smoked a cigarette in my life."
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"It was a surprise," Micucci shared. "But also, I guess it happens. And so the greatest news is they caught it early. They got it out. I'm all good."
"But it's been a little bit of a trip, and I'll probably be moving slow for a few weeks, but then I'll be back at it."
The New Jersey native went on to say that she was looking forward to painting again. In addition to her work as an actress, Micucci is a visual artist, comedian and singer-songwriter.
"Why am I still talking? Because I'm on drugs," Micucci joked.
Micucci was then seen pushing an IV stand as she walked down a hallway in the hospital with a nurse.
"Woohoo," she said as she flashed a thumb's up. "I gotta say, the artwork here is pretty nice."
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Micucci concluded the clip with a photo of herself beaming as she held up a banana and a box of Frosted Flakes while lying in a hospital bed.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Micuccu's representatives for comment.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 10-20% of people who are diagnosed with lung cancer never smoked a cigarette or have smoked less than 100 cigarettes over their lifetimes. The percentage equates to about 20,000 to 40,000 cases per year.
Researchers attribute approximately 7,300 of these cases to secondhand smoke and estimate that 2,900 are due to radon exposure.
While smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, other risk factors include secondhand smoke, radon, air pollution, asbestos, arsenic and some forms of silica and chromium, per the CDC. A family history of lung cancer is also another risk factor for people who have never smoked.
Micucci appeared in eight episodes of "The Big Bang Theory" after her character was introduced in the long-running sitcom's seventh season in 2013. The actress played Lucy, a socially awkward graduate student and the girlfriend of Raj (Kunal Nayyer). She made her last appearance in the show's 10th season in 2017.
Her other TV credits include roles in "Raising Hope," "When In Rome," "Scrubs," "'Til Death,""Steven Universe," "Easy," "DuckTales," "Bored to Death," "The Lego Batman Movie," "Nature Cat" and "Unikitty!" Micucci has voiced the role of Velma in the "Scooby Doo" animated franchise since 2015. She is also one-half of the comedy folk duo "Garfunkel & Oates," which she created with actress Riki Lindhome in 2007.
In 2017, Micucci married musician Jake Sinclair. The couple share a son who was born in 2020.