Getting Real

Reality tv let Meg Maley open up about living with psoriatic arthritis.

- Jill Tyrer

Meg Maley isn’t one to let an opportunity slip by or negativity dim her joy. If you have any doubt about her optimism, just check the tattoo on her foot: “Always yes.” That attitude – and maybe her infectious smile – landed her a spot on CBS’s reality TV show Big Brother in 2015, which changed the course of her life.

But despite her buoyant outlook, “always yes” isn’t always easy. Meg, 29, has psoriatic arthritis (PsA) that causes persistent joint pain, bouts of fatigue and vision problems that make it impossible to drive some days.

“It’s hard for people to understand, because normally I’m very outgoing and I have a big personality and I like to be really active,” she says.

Her Secret, Exposed

Diagnosed when she was about 12 years old, Meg hid her PsA from even her closest friends. As she got older, she came to see it as something she had to deal with, but not something that would define her, so she kept the painful details to herself.

After finishing her college degree in music theater, she moved to New York, where she spent a couple of years auditioning and waiting tables. That’s where Big Brother’s casting people found her.