'F.R.I.E.N.D.S' Gunther actor reveals he has late stage prostate cancer
In a sad development, actor James Michael Tyler, who played Gunther in the iconic show F.R.I.E.N.D.S, has revealed in an interview that he has been battling prostate cancer since 2018 and now, it is in stage four. This is why he wasn't physically present at the reunion episode. He also spoke about the diagnosis and the related struggle, at length. Here are more details.
"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," he told Today.
Three years ago, Tyler found out about his cancer through an annual checkup. The initial hormone therapy helped his condition. "All I had to do was take a pill in the morning and the night, and boom, life was pretty much normal," he further said. Later, the cancer spread to his bones and spine, which resulted in paralysis of the lower body (paraplegia).
Tyler's cancer then mutated "at the time of the pandemic." This unfortunate situation, however, didn't make him lose hope. Instead, he made a goal to save "just one life." Tyler now tries to reach out to more people and encourage them to get screened. He said that's his "new role." Since the news came out, fans have been sharing their support on social media.
Several fans said to Tyler, "I'll be there for you!" Meanwhile, he felt happy to be a part of the F.R.I.E.N.D.S reunion episode. "I wanted to be a part of that, and initially I was going to be on the stage, at least, with them, and be able to take part in all the festivities. It was bittersweet, honestly," Tyler said.
Fans were excited when Gunther had appeared on a Zoom call at the reunion. Addressing the reason, Tyler said, "It was my decision to not 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.'"
