Steven W. Bailey, a familiar face to Grey’s Anatomy fans, is going public about a five-year health battle. On Friday, the actor–best known as Emerald City Bar owner Joe–disclosed his diagnosis of Congenital Myasthenia Syndrome (CMS), a rare neuromuscular disorder that has led him to increasingly rely on a wheelchair for mobility, according to Deadline.

“I would like to share something important with you about my life and my career,” he wrote in part in an X thread. “I’ve spent years being cautious, private, and quiet about something that has been shaping my life and my work. That time is over.”

You may know me from Grey’s Anatomy as Joe the bartender — or from appearances on Modern Family, You, Chicago Fire, or some other appearance.

I would like to share something important with you about my life and my career.

— Steven W. Bailey (@theStevenBailey) January 3, 2026

Bailey added, “Out of career caution, diagnostic uncertainty, and being private about such things in general, I have been hiding my battle with this disease for over five years. Time to stop.”

“CMS is a genetic disease that disrupts the communication between the brain and the muscle at the ‘nerve/muscle junction’… or whatever doctors call it,” he continued. “There are billions of these junction dodads in a body, and an increasing number of mine seem to be on the blink. Troublesome, little buggers- right? The point is: my muscles aren’t clearly receiving all my brain’s orders to do all the swell things muscles are meant to do. It’s a drag.”

Deadline says that the Scandal alum noted that his condition causes his limbs to fatigue much faster than normal, leading to unexpected muscle weakness and significant difficulty with mobility.

“I am fortunate that I am currently still able to walk the dog around the block, navigate my home, pop into the store for a quick few items, and the like on my feet,” wrote Bailey. “But the truth is, as my disease progresses, I have been using a powered wheelchair more and more to get around.”

Referring to himself as an “ambulatory wheelchair user,” he explained, “I ambulate some, then I sit, I ‘wheelchair’ about, ambulate, sit, and then, you know, ambulate,” according to Deadline.

“Professionally, this is changing me as an actor. Much like walking my dog around the block, or helping at the store, I can still perform on my feet, limitedly. I can ambulate my way through simple “walks and talks” with no problem. I can still rise to my feet to object to the judge, derail a town meeting, or yell at a cop for being a loose cannon. But, practically speaking, moving forward, it’s time for my work, like in my life, to start skewing more wheelchair, if you will. Passed that time, really.”

Bailey added, “I am hopeful that there is still room for me in this industry that I love. I look forward to performing as characters who live their lives with a chair, creating a more representative world in film and television. … Same guy. Same actor. Same artist. Now with wheels.”