James
Michael
Tyler
who
played
Gunther
in
the
iconic
sitcom
Friends,
recently
revealed
that
he
was
diagnosed
with
prostate
cancer.
The
actor
told
Today
Show
that
he
was
first
diagnosed
in
September
2018
during
his
annual
checkup,
but
it
was
caught
relatively
late
and
has
spread
to
his
bones
and
spine.
James
revealed
the
cancer
is
now
at
stage
4,
and
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."
The
actor
also
said
that
with
hormone
therapy
he
was
able
to
go
about
his
regular
day
for
almost
a
year
after
the
diagnosis,
but
things
are
different
now.
"All
I
had
to
do
was
take
a
pill
in
the
morning
and
the
night,
and
boom,
life
was
pretty
much
normal," he
said.
At
the
time,
James
had
been
a
part
of
several
Friends-related
events
but
didn't
pursue
many
acting
projects.
"I
had
it
then,
but
(was)
able
to
function
normally.
I
was
feeling
fine,
honestly.
I
didn't
feel
any
symptoms.
And
it
was
very
easy
to
regulate," but
during
the
pandemic,
the
cancer
metastasized
and
it
led
to
paralysis
in
his
lower
body.
The
actor
who
is
currently
on
an
aggressive
regimen
of
chemotherapy
said
that
it
is
important
for
men
to
get
regular
prostate
cancer
screenings,
in
order
to
avoid
catching
anything
too
late.
Talking
about
what
else
can
be
done
he
said,
"There
are
other
options
available
for
men
if
they
catch
it
before
me.
Next
time
you
go
in
for
just
a
basic
exam
or
your
yearly
checkup,
please
ask
your
doctor
for
a
PSA
test.
It's
easily
detectable.
...
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."
Notably,
Tyler
had
also
made
an
appearance
in
the
HBO
Max's
Friends:
The
Reunion
through
a
Zoom
call.
He
revealed
that
he
was
set
to
be
a
part
of
it
and
be
on
stage,
but
it
didn't
work
out
in
the
end
as
he
couldn't
travel
due
to
his
treatment.
"It
was
bittersweet,
honestly.
I
was
very
happy
to
be
included.
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'," he
explained.