Actress Sharon Stone told an awards event crowd on Thursday that she has been through some tough times over the years, nearly losing her breasts to tumors, losing her brother last month, and now losing half her money — apparently due to Silicon Valley Bank’s failure.
Appearing on stage to receive a Courage Award during the Women’s Cancer Research Fund’s (WCRF) “An Unforgettable Evening” fundraiser.
To start, Stone told the crowd that she had some notes when she took the stage at the Four Seasons’ Beverly Wilshire ballroom. The notes were different for her, she said, since, “I usually just speak off the cuff because, as you well know, I don’t give a shit,” the Hollywood Reporter wrote.
Stone encouraged the audience to break out their check books for the WCRF with a shocking admission about her own finances.
The Oscar-nominated Basic Instinct star spoke of a range of woes including her breast cancer scare — and her personal connection to the bank failure that has shocked the U.S. financial system.
“I know that thing that you have to get on and figure out how to text the money is difficult. I’m a technical idiot, but I can write a fucking check. And right now, that’s courage, too, because I know what’s happening. I just lost half my money to this banking thing, and that doesn’t mean that I’m not here,” Stone exclaimed.
Sharon Stone breaks down in tears asking guests to donate more money. She says writing a check for her requires courage since she “lost half my money to this banking thing,” presumably referring to Silicon Valley Bank collapse. “This is not an easy time for any of us.” pic.twitter.com/ZTSP5TQ2od
— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) March 17, 2023
While she did not mention SVB specifically, it is clear that the collapse of the California-based bank that many members of the woke tech and entertainment sectors favored is what she was likely referencing.
Stone went on to reveal that in 2001 she had to have extensive breast reconstruction surgery after doctors discovered several very large tumors. Fortunately, they were fibroid tumors and not cancerous. However, it was still a massive surgical procedure.
“Those mammograms are not fun,” the Quick and the Dead star explained. “And for someone like me who was told that I had breast cancer because I had a tumor that was larger than my breast and they were sure that I couldn’t possibly have a tumor without it being cancer, it wasn’t.
“But I went to the hospital, saying, ‘If you open me up and it’s cancer, please take both my breasts,’ because I am not a person defined by my breasts. You know, that might seem funny coming from me since you’ve all seen ‘em.”
Stone also spoke about the loss of her brother, Patrick Stone, who died on Feb. 12 at age 57 from heart disease. “My brother just died, and that doesn’t mean that I’m not here,” she said. “This is not an easy time for any of us.”
She closed urging her audience to stand up for what they believe.
“This is a hard time in the world, but I’m telling you what, I’m not having some politician tell me what I can and cannot do. How I can and cannot live, and what the value of my life is and is not. So stand up. Stand up and say what you’re worth. I dare you. That’s what courage is,” she said without specifying exactly who is telling her how to live her life.
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