Grey’s Anatomy Star Discusses Cancer After Season 22 Reveal

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James Pickens Jr., known for his role on Grey’s Anatomy, is encouraging people to get screened for cancer early. This comes after a recent storyline on the show involving his character, Dr. Richard Webber, and Pickens Jr. also shared details about his own cancer diagnosis.

In the midseason finale of Grey’s Anatomy’s 22nd season, a major storyline revealed that Richard Webber, a character who has been on the show since the beginning, was diagnosed with cancer. Actor Jesse Williams, who plays Webber, recently shared with Black Health Matters that he himself was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He described his reaction to the news, noting that the disease has a history in his family. “It’s not the kind of news anyone wants to hear,” Williams said, “but honestly, prostate cancer runs in my family. My father had it, and several of his brothers did too, so I wouldn’t have been surprised if I hadn’t gotten it.”

The actor shared that several of his relatives have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, but thankfully, they are all still living. He mentioned a first cousin aged 90 who had the disease, as well as his cousin’s son and a couple of his uncles. To his knowledge, no one in his family has died from prostate cancer.

Pickens explained that due to a family history of the disease, he consistently underwent regular screenings. The 71-year-old actor had been getting yearly check-ups for 34 years, including prostate cancer screenings with a PSA test for the past 30 years. Earlier this year, his doctor noticed elevated PSA levels and referred him to a specialist. An MRI revealed a potential problem, and a subsequent biopsy confirmed he had a tumor.

Pickens explained that because the tumor was discovered early, it hadn’t spread. Doctors believed early detection offered the best chance for successful treatment, especially given that he had a rare form of the condition. They wanted to be extra careful and thorough in their monitoring. While rare tumors had been seen before, his was detected unusually early. Because of this, he decided to have the tumor removed.

The actor created a video with Black Health Matters for their Instagram page, emphasizing how important it is to find prostate cancer early. In the video, he explained that Black men are at a higher risk for the disease, but regular screenings can help because it’s very treatable when caught early.

As a total film buff, I’m thankfully still around to enjoy all the new movies coming out, and I owe it to early detection. Seriously, if you’re Black, or if prostate cancer has affected anyone in your family, please, please talk to your doctor about getting screened starting at age 40. It could save your life – and let you keep enjoying the magic of the movies! You can find more information at blackhealthmatters.com.

Grey’s Anatomy season 22 will return on January 6, 2025.

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2025-11-15 05:38