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Jon Batiste and Wife Suleika Jaouad Celebrate Grammys Win After Her Cancer Returns
Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad's romance hits all the right notes, no matter the obstacles.
Over a month after the "Freedom" singer and his wife of three years skipped the 2025 Grammys amid her yearslong battle with leukemia, he shared that she is currently in remission.
"She's doing great," Jon, 38, told E! News correspondent Francesca Amiker in an exclusive interview. "Now she has this beautiful remission. That's been the case for the last few months and we're just hoping that it remains that way. She's been taking everything in stride and gracefully dealing with all of the things that are going on."
In fact, he revealed that they'll soon hit the road for Suleika's upcoming tour for her novel The Book of Alchemy.
"She's able to continue to paint, continue to write," Jon gushed. "All this is happening after this crazy recurrence, and it's just the best-case scenario. She's feeling healthy. The treatment is working and we're very inspired."
While he and Suleika—who was first diagnosed with leukemia in 2010 before relapsing in December 2021 and again during summer 2024—are basking in the positives, they know that there will always be ups and downs that come with her health.
"It's just a process," Jon explained. "It goes through these different moments of treatments that are indefinite for her, it won't stop. It will continue until there's some innovation. We know that."
"Sometimes the cancer will be gone," he continued, "other times, we'll have to deal with what comes when it comes back and that's just a part of our life. I support her in that."
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The Grammy winner emphasized that potentially losing your partner makes you reevaluate your priorities. "It tests you," he added. "We all have these things that challenge us to build our character and strengthen our relationships."
For The Late Show alum and Suleika, 36, he noted, "It's actually strengthened our relationship and connection because we already were close."
As for how Jon and Suleika prioritize their romance amid their busy schedules? Sometimes, it's spending date nights in their INFINITI QX80 listening to music on its 24-speaker Klipsch Individual Audio. So, it was only fitting he partnered with the brand for their latest car.
Instagram/Suleika Jaouad
"We love going on drives," he said. "The vision of our collective experience together—a lot of it happens in the car. I was very excited about thinking about a brand that's about the same precision and innovation that I'm about with my craft that feels like there's a depth of comfort."
"When you sit in the passenger seat, or you're in the driver's seat, and you're just with somebody you love—it feels like a warm hug just being in the car," he continued. "I just feel that energy and we really enjoy that quality of craftsmanship. So, it's a perfect fit in that way."
For more celebrities who've opened up about navigating cancer journeys, read on.
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Gerry Turner
The former Golden Bachelor star shared in Dec. 2024 that he had been diagnosed with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, a bone cancer.
"Unfortunately, there's no cure for it,” Gerry noted to People at the time. “So that weighs heavily in every decision I make. It was like 10 tons of concrete were just dropped on me. And I was a bit in denial for a while, I didn't want to admit to it.”
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Jim Beaver
The actor, known for roles in The Boys and Supernatural, shared on Feb. 3, 2023, that he had battled prostate cancer for years and was cancer free.
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Ariana Madix
"I had to have a lil bit o'cancer removed from my body and lymph nodes biopsied," the Vanderpump Rules star revealed to fans at the close of 2018. "(In the clear now!)"
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Marcia Cross
The Desperate Housewives star revealed to fans in September 2018 that she survived anal cancer. "After posting a picture of myself here and uttering the words #cancer and #hairloss, I feel liberated, deliriously free and completely me," she shared on Instagram.
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Dustin Hoffman
The two-time Oscar winner underwent successful treatment for cancer, and his rep confirmed to E! News that doctors deemed Hoffman "surgically cured."
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Hugh Jackman
The X-Men star was treated for his third basal cell carcinoma back in 2014, and after his third treatment, Jackman's rep told E! News that he's "all good" now.
In April 2023, Hugh had two biopsies for additional basal cell carcinoma. At the time, he told fans, "If I can just take this opportunity to remind you summer is coming for those of us in the northern hemisphere, please wear
sunscreen."
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Camille Grammer
The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star celebrated one year of being cancer-free in January. The mother of two was diagnosed with endometrial cancer back in 2013 and underwent a radical hysterectomy.
Then in 2017, Camille had surgery to remove Squamous Cell Carcinoma, a type of skin cancer.
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Cobie Smulders
The Avengers: Age of Ultron actress battled ovarian cancer at the age of 25 and overcome odds when she welcomed two children with husband Taran Killam.
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Dr. Drew Pinsky
TV host reveals he underwent surgery for prostate cancer in July 2013 and has since been given a clean bill of health.
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Brooke Burke
The Dancing with the Stars cohost underwent successful surgery for thyroid cancer. The mother of four tweeted, "Thx for all the twitter love. I'm [home] recovering & resting."
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Angie Everhart
"MY DR CALLED ME ON A SAT. MORNING TO TELL ME I AM CANCER FREE!!!!! #wootothemotherf--kinhoo," the actress tweeted after receiving the good news.
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Christina Applegate
The Up All Night star was declared "100-percent clear" of breast cancer after treatment and a double mastectomy.
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Michael C. Hall
The Dexter star used a hiatus from his hit series to slay Hodgkin's lymphoma.
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Michelle Monaghan
The Australian actress revealed in October 2011 that she had a cancerous mole removed from her calf after her hubby encouraged her to get the suspicious-looking mark checked out.
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Ewan McGregor
The Scot is trainspotting just fine these days after having a cancerous mole removed from beneath his right eye.
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Sheryl Crow
The singer beat breast cancer in 2004 with a "minimally invasive" lumpectomy and radiation therapy.
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Michael Douglas
The Oscar winner declared in early 2011 that his tumor was gone and he had throat cancer "beat."
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Edie Falco
The Emmy winner whacked breast cancer in 2004.
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Anderson Cooper
Surely the CNN veteran wears his SPF when he's braving the elements now after having a cancerous growth removed from under his left eye in 2008.
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Kylie Minogue
The Australian pop star underwent successful surgery for breast cancer in 2005.
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Barry Watson
The 7th Heaven star was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease when he was only 28. He's 50 now and looking good!
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Maura Tierney
The ER fave had to abandon her role in Parenthood to fight breast cancer in 2009—but her treatment was a success and she was back on the red carpet in no time.
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Sharon Osbourne
The America's Got Talent judge was diagnosed with colon cancer while shooting The Osbournes in 2002 and used the opportunity to stress the importance of regular screenings while attacking the #@%! with chemotherapy. She was declared cancer-free the following year.
Jemal Countess/Getty Images for the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival
Robert De Niro
The Oscar winner took prostate cancer down, down to Chinatown, in 2003, and has been in about 400 movies since then.
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Robin Roberts
The Good Morning America cohost proudly flaunted her smooth scalp while undergoing chemotherapy to treat breast cancer in 2007.
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Lance Armstrong
The champion cyclist battled back from stage-four testicular cancer before winning seven straight Tour de France titles.
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Melissa Etheridge
The Grammy and Oscar winner became an inspiring activist after a lumpectomy and chemotherapy cleared her of breast cancer in 2005.
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Julia Sweeney
The former Saturday Night Live standout mined her breast cancer battle for comedic material that turned into God Said Ha!, her successful one-woman show that eventually went to Broadway.
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Cynthia Nixon
The Sex and the City star was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, and after surgery and radiation treatments, she was given the clear.
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Samantha Harris
Harris underwent a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
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