‘Friends’ actor James Michael Tyler reveals Stage 4 cancer battle, says it progressed after missed pandemic appointment
“Friends” actor James Michael Tyler, who played Central Perk manager Gunther on all 10 seasons of the hit series, revealed Monday he’s been battling Stage 4 prostate cancer.
The sitcom regular known for his character’s bleached-blond hair, sarcastic one-liners and unrequited love for Jennifer Aniston’s Rachel Green told NBC’s “Today” show he was diagnosed in September 2018 with an “advanced” case that already had spread to his bones.
It was discovered during a routine physical when he was 56 years old because his doctor added a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test to his blood work.
“I’ve been dealing with that diagnosis for almost the past three years,” he said. “It’s Stage 4, late-stage cancer. So eventually, you know, it’s gonna probably get me.”
At first, doctors recommended hormone therapy, which “worked amazingly for about a year,” he told NBC.
“All I had to do was take a pill in the morning and the night, and boom, life was pretty much normal,” he said, noting he even appeared on “Today” for a “Friends” reunion during that time.
“I had it then, but [was] able to function normally,” he explained. “I was feeling fine, honestly. I had no symptoms, I didn’t feel any symptoms, and it was very easy to regulate.”
But then his case took a turn over the past 15 months, which wasn’t immediately caught because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
“I missed going in for a test, which was not a good thing,” he said. “So the cancer decided to mutate at the time of the pandemic, and so it’s progressed.”
The mutation caused fractures in his bones and tumors on his spine, leaving him unable to walk, according to the “Today” report.
Tyler said he’s now undergoing an aggressive chemotherapy regimen.
If he could go back in time, he “would have listened” to his wife and “gone in earlier” for his first PSA test, he said through tears.
“Next time you go in for just a basic exam or yearly checkup, please ask your doctor for a PSA test. Caught early, [prostate cancer is] 99% treatable,” he stressed.
He said his goal last year was to see his 59th birthday. “I did that. My goal now is to save at least one life,” he said.
“If it spreads beyond the prostate to the bones, which is most prevalent in my form, it can be a lot more difficult to deal with,” he said.
