You’ve probably seen her on a talk show or caught a glimpse of her during a red carpet event and thought, Wait, is something up with how she’s moving? It's a question that pops up on Reddit and in Google searches more than you’d think. Marilu Henner, the fiery redhead we all loved as Elaine Nardo on Taxi, has always been a bundle of high-octane energy. But lately, fans have been dissecting her gait, wondering if there’s a secret injury or a medical condition behind what some describe as a "funny" or slightly stiff way of walking.
The truth is rarely as dramatic as the internet rumors suggest. When people ask why does marilu henner walk funny, they’re usually picking up on a combination of extreme fitness, a past injury that almost sidelined her during a major competition, and a very specific philosophy on posture that she’s preached for decades.
The Dancing with the Stars "Crash"
If you really want to pin down a moment when people started noticing a change in her movement, you have to look back at 2016. Marilu was competing on Dancing with the Stars with pro Derek Hough. She was 64 at the time, looking incredible, but the show is grueling.
During the "Charleston" week, the wheels started to come off. Hough later revealed in his blogs that Marilu was in a massive amount of pain. It wasn't just a sore muscle; she had developed bruised bursas in her feet. For those who aren't anatomy nerds, bursas are the fluid-filled sacs that cushion your joints. When they get bruised, every single step feels like you’re walking on broken glass.
There was one specific night where she actually fell during a team dance because her foot caught. She was getting numbing injections and using lidocaine cream just to make it through the live broadcast. When you see her walk today, some of that gingerly, "protecting the feet" movement might just be a lingering habit from years of high-impact performance and that specific, agonizing injury.
Is it Hyperthymesia? The Brain-Body Connection
It’s impossible to talk about Marilu without mentioning her "superpower." She has Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM), or hyperthymesia. She is one of only a handful of people in the world who can remember every single day of her life in vivid detail.
Now, how does this affect her walk?
Well, Henner herself has often talked about how her brain is "wired fast." She moves through life at a different tempo. Sometimes, people with HSAM describe a feeling of being "over-stimulated" because their brains are constantly indexing the past while trying to navigate the present. This can lead to a certain frantic energy or a stiff, purposeful gait. She isn't just strolling to the kitchen; she's moving with the weight of seventy years of daily data perfectly preserved in her head.
"Motion is the Lotion": The 5-Second Posture Trick
Honestly, Marilu would probably tell you she doesn't walk "funny"—she walks correctly.
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She is a health obsessive. After losing her parents young (her father to a heart attack and her mother to complications from rheumatoid arthritis), she became a student of nutrition and body mechanics. She has written nearly a dozen books on health.
She often teaches a "5-second posture makeover." Most of us slouch, which gives us a "normal" but lazy-looking gait. Marilu walks with her core completely engaged, her shoulders pinned back, and a very specific heel-to-toe strike. To a modern audience used to the "iPhone slouch," someone walking with perfectly rigid, athletic posture can look a little unnatural or "stiff."
- The Vegan Factor: She’s been a strict vegan since 1979. She credits her plant-based diet for her lack of inflammation, but some critics of extreme diets argue that long-term lack of certain fats can affect joint lubrication. However, Marilu claims the opposite—that her diet is why she can still do the splits in her 70s.
- The Footwear Choice: You’ll rarely see her in "sensible" shoes unless she’s working out. She loves a high heel, and decades of wearing them for TV and Broadway can permanently alter the way a person’s calves and Achilles tendons function.
Addressing the Rumors: Parkinson's or Arthritis?
Whenever a celebrity has a unique gait, the internet jumps to the worst-case scenario. There has been speculation about Parkinson’s or a neurological disorder.
There is zero medical evidence or public statement from Henner to support this. In fact, she’s famously "the healthiest person in the room." Her mother struggled with severe arthritis—which led to a leg amputation before she passed—and Marilu has spent her entire life trying to outrun that genetic destiny. If anything, her walk is a hyper-deliberate attempt to stay mobile and avoid the fate of her parents.
The Bottom Line on Marilu’s Movement
So, why does she walk that way? It’s a mix of a few things:
- Lingering Foot Issues: Those bruised bursas from DWTS likely left a mark on her muscle memory.
- Deliberate Posture: She walks like an athlete/dancer who is constantly "on."
- High Energy: Her personality is famously "at an 11," and her physical movement reflects that intensity.
If you want to move like Marilu (minus the "funny" look), her advice is simple: keep moving. She often says "Motion is the lotion," and whether her walk looks a bit different or not, the fact that she’s this active in her 70s suggests she’s doing something right.
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Next Steps for Better Mobility
If you're noticing your own gait changing or feeling stiff like you've seen in some of Marilu's appearances, start by focusing on functional mobility.
First, check your footwear. If you've been wearing flat shoes or high heels for years without support, you may be developing the same bursa issues Marilu faced. Second, incorporate "active recovery" into your day. Instead of sitting for eight hours, try Marilu’s "hamster wheel" approach—find reasons to move every 20 minutes to keep your joints lubricated. Finally, consider a gait analysis from a physical therapist. Sometimes "walking funny" is just your body’s way of overcompensating for a weak core or tight hip flexors. Fixing it now prevents long-term joint wear.