Amy Schumer saw herself like many other expectant working mothers when she fought through sickness and fatigue during her pregnancy to take the stage during a 42-city, 60-show comedy tour.
Schumer, 39, who battled hyperemesis gravidarum (extreme morning sickness) until the day she gave birth to her son, Gene, last year, spoke to Willie Geist on Sunday TODAY about continuing to perform the stand-up act that became last year's Netflix special "Growing." She ultimately had to cancel some tour dates due to her extreme sickness during the difficult pregnancy.
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"It was really, really hard," she told Willie in a Zoom interview. "But I think probably every woman can relate, strangely enough. Because for me, going on stage and doing a show like that, even though it's physical, and everyone's looking at you, it's still my job.
"And so if you're a teacher or a nurse or anything, if you are really sick and you're pregnant, and you still have to work, and no one one gives you any leeway, they really don't."
It was all worth it to have her son, Gene, who is now 15 months old.
"Oh man. I mean, come on, he's just — life is so much more beautiful," she said. "It's been the best thing in my life."
Schumer shared her experience of performing while enduring the sickness from her pregnancy in the HBO documentary series "Expecting Amy," which also included the joyous moment when she found out she was pregnant.
The "Trainwreck" star and her husband, chef Chris Fischer, are now enjoying their time together as a family while staying at home during the pandemic. They have also started their own cooking show on Food Network called "Amy Schumer Learns to Cook."
"I like staying home a lot," Schumer said. "I like also not seeing anyone at all."
Schumer also opened up to Willie about why she may not get pregnant again. Earlier this month, she told the "What to Expect" podcast that she could have a baby again, "but it might kill me."
"We did IVF, and IVF was really tough on me," she said on Sunday TODAY. "I don't think I could ever do IVF again. And so I decided that I can't be pregnant ever again. We thought about a surrogate, but I think we're gonna hold off for right now."
It's been a whirlwind five years for Schumer, who went from a popular stand-up comedian to a major star after the 2015 release of "Trainwreck," which earned her a Golden Globe nomination for best actress.
She admits it took some time to adjust to her new fame, especially the fashion and styling expectations for celebrities.
"All of a sudden you're kind of dressed up like how a famous woman is supposed to be dressed up," she said. "You kind of lose your identity in there. Until you go, actually, I am a person, and I'm not all these other things that you're kind of made to feel like you need to fit into.
"It's really satisfying to get a grasp of that," she continued. "It just comes with getting older. You're out, like, maybe shopping. I've been standing in a store, like, 'What do I wear? Like, who am I?' And so now it's, like I feel like I know instead of trying to be something else. I'm someone who likes sweatpants and T-shirts."