Grey’s Anatomy Actor Steven W. Bailey Reveals Rare Neuromuscular Disorder Diagnosis

Grey’s Anatomy actor Steven W. Bailey is opening up about his rare health diagnosis.

In a lengthy thread on X on Friday, Jan. 2, Bailey, 54 — who appeared in more than 30 episodes of the long-running medical drama as Joe, the owner of a bar near the show’s fictional hospital during seasons 1 to 7 — shared that he had been diagnosed with a rare neuromuscular disorder known as congenital myasthenia syndrome, or CMS.

In his “open letter” on X, he wrote that he had “spent years being cautious, private and quiet” about something that has been “shaping [his] life and work.”

“That time is over,” he wrote.

“[It’s] the darndest thing, but it turns out I have a rather rare genetic neuromuscular disorder. Weird, right? It’s called Congenital Myasthenia Syndrome,” Bailey shared.

According to the Mayo Clinic, CMS is a group of rare hereditary conditions caused by a gene difference that results in muscle weakness, worsening a person’s physical ability.

“Any muscles used for movement can be affected, including muscles that control speaking, chewing and swallowing, seeing and blinking, breathing, and walking,” the clinic states.

According to Bailey, he kept his medical struggles out of the public eye for several years “out of career caution, diagnostic uncertainty, and being private about such things,” but said he decided it was “time to stop” hiding his diagnosis.

“CMS is a genetic disease that disrupts the communication between the brain and the muscle at the ‘nerve/muscle junction’… or whatever doctors call it,” he explained. “There are billions of these junction dodads in a body, and an increasing number of mine seem to be on the blink. Troublesome, little buggers — right?”

“The result being that my hands, arms and legs tire quicker than they should, which makes them weaker than, well … anticipated,” he continued. “Sustained repetitive movements are particularly difficult and can cause my muscles to temporarily tighten and shut down.”

Bailey joked that while his diagnosis has helped get him out of “doing the dishes and folding laundry in [his] household,” it has also increasingly hindered his ability to walk.

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“The truth is, as my disease progresses, I have been using a powered wheelchair more and more to get around,” he wrote, noting, “Professionally, this is changing me as an actor.”

Bailey, who has also appeared in NCIS, Angel, Modern Family, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Scandal, said he can “still perform on [his] feet” in a limited capacity.

“Practically speaking, moving forward, it’s time for my work, like in my life, to start skewing more wheelchair, if you will. Passed that time, really,” Bailey acknowledged. “But now I am here — done hiding — with a clear understanding of my disease, wheels firmly beneath me, ready for the next chapter in my life and career.”

“I look forward to performing as characters who live their lives with a chair, creating a more representative world in film and television,” he continued on X. “And now that I think of it, I don’t need to leap to my feet to object to that judge I mentioned earlier. They’ll hear me. And I can derail any town meeting from my chair — no problem. And as far as loose cannons go — well, you get the point.”

“Same guy. Same actor. Same artist. Now with wheels,” he quipped, concluding his post.