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Friends star James Michael Tyler battling stage 4 prostate cancer
Fan favourite Friends star James Michael Tyler, who starred as Gunther on the show, has revealed the reason he wasn't at the show's reunion earlier this year was due to a serious health issue.
During an appearance on NBC's Today Show, James shared, "In September of 2018, I was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, which had spread to my bones."
Doctors discovered the cancer during a routine physical when he was 56, but it has since spread to his bones and spine.
The actor, who appeared in all 10 seasons of Friends as the manager of Central Perk, is now unable to walk as the cancer left his lower body paralysed.
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"I've been dealing with that diagnosis for almost the past three years... It's stage 4," he told the show. "Late-stage cancer. So eventually, you know, it's gonna probably get me."
James said doctors were initially optimistic when he was first diagnosed, but the cancer began mutating as the Covid pandemic kicked off.
"I missed going in for a test, which was not a good thing," he explained. "So the cancer decided to mutate at the time of the pandemic and so it's progressed."
James appeared at the Friends reunion via Zoom, but was meant to appear on stage.
"It was bittersweet, honestly. I was very happy to be included," he said. "It was my decision not to be a part of that physically and make an appearance on Zoom, basically, because I didn't wanna bring a downer on it, you know? I didn't want to be like, 'Oh, and by the way, Gunther has cancer'."
The six main cast members of the show and the show's producers were all aware of the actor's diagnosis.
James revealed the cancer had not been caught early and initially he was being treated with hormone therapy, which meant taking a few tablets a day.
He said that form of treatment "worked amazingly for about a year", adding, "All I had to do was take a pill in the morning and the night, and boom, life was pretty much normal."
He also urged other men to ensure they're tested yearly so that should they have it, it can be caught early.
"A lot of men, if they catch this early, it's easily treatable," he explained. "I don't want people to have to go through what I've been going through. This is not... an easy process."
The actor teared up while saying he'd wished he'd gotten tested earlier.
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