The Bachelor’s Joey Opened Up About His Gilbert Syndrome Diagnosis

Joey Graziadei’s Bachelor season has produced countless memes, but it’s also prompted comments of a more concerned nature, with several viewers wondering if his eyes looked unusually yellow during one-on-one close-ups. Some fans on X (formerly Twitter) even said he should get his liver checked.

Fortunately, he’s on it. Joey first addressed the speculation in a Feb. 23 interview with Us Weekly, telling the magazine that there was indeed “something behind” the discoloration. “I actually am probably going to post a video a little bit more about that later on and I can give some more insight,” he said at the time.

True to his word, he opened up in a TikTok video one week later.

A High School Diagnosis

After about a week-and-a-half of being sick in high school, Joey explained, he went to the doctor and blood work revealed a high bilirubin count. “That means that there could be something that was wrong with my liver,” he said.

In the process of getting an ultrasound and visiting with other doctors, Joey learned that “there was nothing necessarily wrong,” such as hepatitis. However, he was diagnosed with Gilbert syndrome. “At the end of the day, I am told that I am healthy,” he said. “It’s something that does affect the whites of my eyes. It makes it have those jaundice levels, which is why they look a little bit more yellow.”

While the condition itself is described as “relatively mild” (more on that later), Joey said he does want to focus on it more in 2024. “I want to get my health right, and make sure that I’m all good.”

The Bachelor Played A Role

Despite having Gilbert syndrome since he was a teenager, Joey acknowledged that being on The Bachelor could exacerbate its effects. “It’s just something that I have to pay attention to, drinking more fluids,” he said. “It is worse when I have stress, or lack of sleep, which happens on a TV show.”

Joey also thanked fans for their concern. “To my knowledge, I’m as OK as I can be, and I will continue to look at it.”

What Is Gilbert Syndrome?

According to the National Library of Medicine, Gilbert syndrome is commonly diagnosed in adolescence. Episodes of hyperbilirubinemia — or elevated levels of unconjugated (toxic) bilirubin in the blood — can be brought on by stress and dehydration, as Joey said, as well as other factors.

Thirty percent of people with Gilbert syndrome have no signs or symptoms, but it may affect up to 7% of Americans.