Performing a residency in Vegas is never easy, but add an itchy, irritating skin infection on top of that, and you have a recipe for distress. While some may be embarrassed, Adele was as candid and funny as ever when the Grammy winner told the crowd at her most recent performance that the hot lights and tight Spanx have caused her to develop jock itch.
“Obviously when I do my shows I wear Spanx to keep it all in and make it all fit me,” she said on stage last weekend. “I sweat a lot, and it doesn’t go anywhere, so I basically am just sitting in my own sweat. So, my doctor [diagnosed] me [with] jock itch.”
Jock itch, commonly occurring in athletes, is a fungal skin infection that causes a warm, itchy rash in moist areas of the body like the groin and inner thighs, according to the Mayo Clinic.
For Adele, that may also include beneath the breast. “My face is sweating, my t*ts are sweating,” she said, noting that she was baking under the hot stage lights. “I need a towel, Jesus.”
Taking a moment to get candid with the crowd, the “Rolling in the Deep” singer acknowledged that it made her seem more athletic than she is.
“Do you know what jock itch is?” Adele asked the crowd. “It sounds like I’m a big Nuggets fan, like I’m a big athlete, right?”
Jock itch is often found in athletes because of the damp environment that athletic wear creates, where sweat becomes trapped. The combination of sweat and tight clothing like Spanx can trigger jock itch, which is then treated usually by prescribed ointment.
“I have to squirt it on myself,” she said, laughing. “I don’t know why the f— I just told you that!”
She went on to tease, “Adele’s got body acne!”
Despite the uncomfortable rash, Adele has no plans to stop her Vegas residency, Weekends with Adele. She also announced plans to record and release concert footage “to make sure that anyone who wants to see this show can see it.”
