Julia Louis-Dreyfus is opening up about why she was candid about her stage two breast cancer diagnosis in 2017.

The 64-year-old Seinfeld alum appeared on Amy Poehler's Good Hang podcast this week, where she revealed she felt forced to publicly talk about her health eight years ago.

Louis-Dreyfus then admitted she felt she needed to explain that she would be pausing the final season of her hit show Veep for cancer treatment.

'Well, I was kind of backed into a corner on that one because we had to shut our show down,' she shared. 'It's funny how that worked out because normally I would not have done that. I'm very private.'

She reiterated, 'But because we had to shut Veep down for a year, I had to say it. 250 people weren't going to be working.'

As a result of her transparency, the actress said, 'I did have this incredible experience of people reaching out to me, asking me about my experience going through breast cancer for advice and I was able to help.' 

Louis-Dreyfus reflected, 'There was something unbelievably comforting about being able to do that on the other side of this trauma.'

She added, 'There is a lot to be said in self-soothing by soothing others. For real. I don't mean to sound all Pollyanna-ish. I actually think it's true.'

The former Saturday Night Live star's treatment included chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and breast reconstruction. 

In October 2018 she announced that after completing her treatment she was in remission.

While on Jimmy Kimmel Live she said she thought going public with her diagnosis would be a great opportunity to have 'an important conversation to have about health and healthcare.' 

The Hollywood vet shared at the time, 'I very much considered the notion that as someone battling this disease, the idea that I might not have health insurance, which I do thanks to my great union, is completely terrifying.' 

She declared: 'Healthcare should be for all.' 

During her tough journey, the mother-of-two documented her experience on social media.

One post was an Instagram video that her two sons, Henry, 33, and Charlie, 28, made to commemorate her final day of chemotherapy treatment. It showed them dancing and lip syncing to Michael Jackson's Beat It.

'My beauty boys @henryhallmusic @charlie_hall made this for me today,' Louis-Dreyfus captioned the January 2018 video. 'My last day of chemotherapy. Pretty swell, right? Ain't they sweet?'

The TV star previously recalled the moment she found out she had cancer. 

Speaking with journalist David Remnick at the New Yorker Festival in 2023, she said her first reaction to the news was laughter. 

According to an account from People, she recalled, 'Well, because the night before, I had won an Emmy. And so, I came downstairs and… the Emmy was there. 

'It was like on the dining room table. I'm coming down to get coffee. My cell phone rings, and it's my doctor saying, 'Guess what, you have cancer.'' 

She then highlighted her gratitude for having the support of husband Bill Hall and their two sons. 

'I have a very strong and supportive family, and for which I am eternally grateful. I was deeply terrified because who wouldn't be? 

'I mean, all the tropes are true. You know, you get that call and it's like, 'What, me? No, no, no.' I mean, you can't imagine that something like that would happen to you,' she said.