Actor James Michael Tyler, best known for playing Gunther on Friends, has revealed that he's battling stage 4 prostate cancer.
The 59-year-old, who shot to worldwide fame playing the coffee shop worker, shared the diagnosis with TODAY on Monday, June 21.
He said: "I was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, which had spread to my bones. I’ve been dealing with that diagnosis for almost the past three years. … It’s stage 4 (now). Late-stage cancer. So eventually, you know, it’s gonna probably get me."
Tyler explained that his cancer was first caught during a yearly checkup.
"I was 56 years old at the time, and they screen for PSA, which is a prostate-specific antigen," he explained. "That came back at an extraordinarily high number ... So I knew immediately when I went online and I saw the results of my blood test and blood work that there was obviously something quite wrong there.
The Friends star added: "Nearly immediately, my doctor called me and said 'Hey, I need you to come in tomorrow because I suspect that you may have quite a serious problem with your prostate.'"
After some further testing, Tyler was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer.
The actor then underwent hormone therapy, which he said "worked amazingly for about a year," allowing him to "go about life regularly" while routinely taking three types of medication.
"All I had to do was take a pill in the morning and the night, and boom, life was pretty much normal... I had it then, but (was) able to function normally. I was feeling fine, honestly. I had no symptoms, I didn't feel any symptoms. And it was very easy to regulate," he added.
Unfortunately, the cancer ultimately spread to his bones and spine, which resulted in paraplegia - paralysis of his lower body. Tyler, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy, explained that it mutated "right at the time of the pandemic."
"I missed going in for a test, which was not a good thing," Tyler said. "So the cancer decided to mutate at the time of the pandemic, and so it's progressed."
The actor took the opportunity to urge men to make sure they request a PSA test when they next go in for a checkup as it would make any signs of cancer "easily detectible".
Tyler also confirmed that the illness was the reason he was unable to appear on the recent Friends reunion in May and instead made an appearance via Zoom. Many of his castmates from the show are aware of his prognosis, he revealed.
