Extended interview: Nick Jonas on navigating diabetes, his brothers and Broadway return

Return to the Broadway stage is a thrilling experience. It is intimidating for all the reasons that it's intimidating, and it's really liberating. There's no place where you get to combine all these things in one place, singing, dancing, acting, and storytelling, in the way that you can on the Broadway stage. It attracts a really interesting group of people, this show specifically. It's a piece that is beloved and has been for a very long time. Going back to its first off-Broadway production in the early 2000s to now have its first Broadway production is pretty special, and I'm thrilled to be doing it. There is some pressure that comes with doing any Broadway show, I would say. Doing one like this, where this is technically the first Broadway production, came with a bit of pressure, but I think I had to compartmentalize a little bit and just approach the work first and think about the story that I was trying to tell, the character I was trying to create. I got to work alongside an amazing creative team to do that with material that I've always loved. I think with that comes the invitation for a lot of big opinions, and that's part of the gig. You have to find a way to know that the work you're doing is dynamic and thoughtful and that you've put in the hours needed to deliver a performance you can be proud of, and I'm very proud of the work I was able to do with this team. The reaction to the performance has been really fun to navigate. I think that Jamie is, in a lot of ways, a polarizing character for people. He's incredibly ambitious, very focused, and he builds worlds in his head. He's got a very creative mind, a very active mind, and I think people like that have a tendency to lose sight of the people in front of them or the people in their lives that lift them up and make them better, and there are times that he does that. He's certainly far from perfect. I think it was great to get to build a version of this character alongside Whitney White, a director, where you really see some of yourself in him and in Kathy, and you have those moments where you think, well, I'm really connected more to what his perspective is in this scenario and not just doing it so black and white, but really finding ways to say love and relationship is complicated, and it's a push and pull in a lot of ways. These two people, if they had better tools in communication and their thoughtfulness with each other, perhaps could have made this work. Yeah, being on Broadway is very different. Eight shows a week requires a lot of discipline, and there's really just one day off a week, so you have very little time to reset and recalibrate things. Today, for instance, we just finished the matinee. We've got an evening show, and basically from the time I wake up each day to the time I go to bed, I'm thinking about all I need to be doing mentally, emotionally, and physically to prepare for this 95 minutes on stage. So it's a lot like I feel being an athlete in some ways as opposed to being a musician. Most of my experience with the brothers and touring is really that that's our kind of domain. That's our stories that we're telling, songs that we've written, and the show itself functionally is kind of our thing. And so there's a real freedom and flexibility in that that is unlike anything in the world, and I'm very grateful that we have that. But to get to come into something more structured like this that requires that of you in your off time as well is a really nice kind of balance to the other side of things on the touring side. And it's created a nice structure for my family and I as well to be in one place for a little while and plant some roots of some kind, maybe not permanent, but certainly feeling like New York is calling our name a little bit and that's bound to happen in springtime, and it's gorgeous. I think that my journey with type 1 diabetes has prepared me for my biggest challenges in life, and that's everything from building the career that we built for the brothers and what that journey's been to my life as just a person and building out my meaningful relationships in my life, friends, family, and obviously my marriage, and then something like this. I come in, I think, with a real focus and sense of understanding of the importance of any project because of the amount of times I have to make real-time decisions while living with this disease. It's often categorized as a manageable disease, and with the right management of it, it can be, but it can also be incredibly difficult, and for a lot of people it is. And there are days, even as on top of it as I am, where life happens and my glucose is not where I want it to be, and that has an emotional and physical effect on everything I do. The ability to overcome those situations, to have mental clarity and focus amidst crisis, it's all kind of within me because of the experiences I've had with type 1. I can't even imagine it must be so difficult to have to think there's so many extra things to deal with on top of just like, OK, remember my lines, remember my songs, and things like that. It can be, but I think I'm very fortunate that I have incredible care. My doctor is amazing and helps me in situations where I feel I need help and guidance in that sense, but also access to information. I'm obviously a spokesperson for Dexcom, but I genuinely will share with people just in my daily life how life-changing this technology is and how meaningful it is to not only me, but everyone that uses it. It's kind of amazing to be in a spot where I not only feel armed with what I need to go and be the best I can be, but for my family and my friends and my community to feel comfort knowing that I've got this care and tech. It's great. Yeah, so speaking of the technology, I mean, you've been diagnosed since you were 13. That's essentially over almost the entire 20-year career with the Jonas Brothers. So how has the way that you've been able to manage your diabetes changed over the years with emerging technology? I think that the technology has come so far, and not just the convenience element to it, but physically some of the insertion devices and things like that have gotten a lot less invasive. And the profile of something like this is super low, and it hasn't always been that way. And it's been great to see these stages of development and tech advances that have had a ton of effects. And the conversation that I feel I've been some small part of in my advocacy about normalizing what it's like to live with diabetes, and that's everything from having an insulin pump in your back pocket or a cord for your insulin pump or a device on your arm. And we're seeing it not only in our everyday lives, but also represented in the media now and in other ways that I think is really exciting and meaningful. And normalizing something that when I was first diagnosed at 13 felt really overwhelming and scary, and like you couldn't put a face to it. And so I'm thrilled to get to see something like today, meeting other people who in their circles, both online and otherwise, are carrying that torch and starting a conversation about not just great tech and advances in diabetes management, but what it's like to live with this disease and what that really means to a 10-year-old kid who's just diagnosed. Getting to look up and see a dancer or an attorney or people in different professions who are thriving. I think that there's always real power in community and connection. As the world gets bigger and these connection points feel so easy on your phone and instant, it also feels very isolating. And I think there's a collective feeling that I'm gathering from people in these little communities is that there's a real need for that human connection. And so beyond the work that we all do on social media and everything else to amplify and advocate for this disease, I think opportunities where we actually get to have that face-to-face interaction and feel a part of something and feel like we're not alone in that, as powerful as social media is and has become, can't beat that human connection. I'm a big advocate for therapy. I think everyone should do it. And those that say, I don't need it, you probably need it. And there's that aspect of it. There's also, I think, the importance of having people that you look up to who may have no understanding of what it's like to live with the disease but are just people that you admire and that you respect. Having regular conversation, whether that's a coach or a boss or a parent, finding a little bit of time every now and again to tap in and refuel, I think that there's a lot of wisdom in that. It extends beyond just your work and being a good husband or father or wife or mother. It's about just getting perspective and seeing things from a different angle. And that has certainly been a factor in my life managing the disease as well. What advice can you give to a young person recently diagnosed with diabetes? You told me a story about someone that was close to you that was recently diagnosed. I think the advice that I would give to someone newly diagnosed is to say that you can kind of do this thing two ways. You can beat yourself up and put a lot of pressure on yourself to be perfect and constantly be disappointed. Or you can do the best you can and understand that a lot of these things, every factor of why one day your glucose is solid and the next day it's out of range and you feel crazy and you feel gaslit by your own body, all these aspects, that's out of your control. And the things you can control are processing the information that you have in front of you, your glucose numbers, and making the right decisions on dosing insulin. The rest is up to you to decide how you're going to process that. And I think you'll live a way happier and more fulfilled life if you choose the latter. Because otherwise you're just constantly hitting this wall of burnout and fatigue. And you won't be able to enjoy things as much. And I think it doesn't have to be like that. And then for the people around that newly diagnosed person, give them a little grace. If they seem out of character and don't seem like themselves, it's probably a direct result of something going on with their life with diabetes. I've seen that to be true on many occasions, and I think it's always better to be up front about, hey, my glucose is high right now, so if I seem out of it, that's why, or I'm low. It makes that connection point as a community stronger and more trust, but also it gives them perspective in case you're acting out of character. Talk. And don't just talk when there's conflict or when you need to have a conversation or talk through a schedule or anything like that. Just talk about things. And a lot of people say go on dates or do this. It doesn't have to be that elaborate. You can just sit on the couch, and instead of putting on a TV show for just maybe 15, 20 minutes, you just talk. And I think that there's so much good that comes from that. And as we all are sort of all on our devices collectively all the time and prioritizing sort of detachment from the real world in whatever our vehicle is to escape, I think one of those avenues and things could be talking. And it's not just relationships in a romantic sense. I think this extends to family and friends. I think everyone can think of an example of a time that friend or person that they haven't spoken to in a minute just called them to catch up and what that meant to them. And so I think the same thing applies to checking with your person you love in a romantic sense. You've got to just spend that time sometimes. Thank you. Appreciate it. Great interview.