James Pickens Jr., star of «Grey's Anatomy», - is battling prostate cancer
15 november 2025 в 23:02
The star of the show «Grey's Anatomy» James Pickens Jr., who has been on the show for 20 years, is now the embodiment of the famous phrase «life imitates art», - but for an unfortunate reason. Like his character on the show, the 73-year-old actor revealed that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
«We caught it very early, so they thought this would be the best course», - explained Pickens Jr. during an interview with BlackHealthMatters.com in November 2025. «I have a rare variant that you don’t see very often. They wanted to play it safe and monitor it. It was rare enough that they wanted to make sure they checked all the details. But they hadn’t seen one that was detected as early as mine».
Read on to learn more about Pickens Jr.'s health in real life compared to his character on screen.
Pickens Jr. plays the role of Dr. Richard Webber, whose cancer diagnosis was revealed in the middle of the 22nd season. The specific type of cancer was not immediately disclosed.
Yes, Pickens Jr. admitted that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer during an interview with BlackHealthMatters.com in November 2025.
«It's not the news anyone wants to hear, but to be honest, prostate cancer has been in my family», - explained the actor. «My father had it. He had many brothers; several of them had it. It would have surprised me if I didn’t get it. I have a 90-year-old cousin who is still alive; he had it. His son has it. Several of his brothers had it. As far as I know, no one died from it».
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Pickens Jr. received his diagnosis in 2024. During the interview, he recalled how he returned to the doctor and, «when my PSA levels came back, my doctor said, 'Yeah, you know what? They’ve gone up a little bit more. I want to send you back to the urologist.'»
«The urologist looked at it and said, 'Yeah, there’s something here. Let’s do an MRI,'» said Pickens Jr.
Prostate cancer is when cells in the male reproductive gland, the prostate gland, begin to grow uncontrollably. Pickens Jr. emphasized that early detection of the tumor is key in fighting this disease.
«I started getting annual check-ups 34 years ago. And started getting PSA tests when I was 41; now I’m 73», - he said. «My urologist said, 'Because you were so diligent in this part of your health, it worked to your advantage. We were able to catch it so early because you were being tested.'»
Fans of «Grey's Anatomy» are now worried that Pickens Jr. will leave the show. Since the actor has been battling the disease since 2024 and detected the cancer early, it seems like he won’t be leaving the series anytime soon. However, only time will tell
«We caught it very early, so they thought this would be the best course», - explained Pickens Jr. during an interview with BlackHealthMatters.com in November 2025. «I have a rare variant that you don’t see very often. They wanted to play it safe and monitor it. It was rare enough that they wanted to make sure they checked all the details. But they hadn’t seen one that was detected as early as mine».
Read on to learn more about Pickens Jr.'s health in real life compared to his character on screen.
Pickens Jr. plays the role of Dr. Richard Webber, whose cancer diagnosis was revealed in the middle of the 22nd season. The specific type of cancer was not immediately disclosed.
Yes, Pickens Jr. admitted that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer during an interview with BlackHealthMatters.com in November 2025.
«It's not the news anyone wants to hear, but to be honest, prostate cancer has been in my family», - explained the actor. «My father had it. He had many brothers; several of them had it. It would have surprised me if I didn’t get it. I have a 90-year-old cousin who is still alive; he had it. His son has it. Several of his brothers had it. As far as I know, no one died from it».
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Pickens Jr. received his diagnosis in 2024. During the interview, he recalled how he returned to the doctor and, «when my PSA levels came back, my doctor said, 'Yeah, you know what? They’ve gone up a little bit more. I want to send you back to the urologist.'»
«The urologist looked at it and said, 'Yeah, there’s something here. Let’s do an MRI,'» said Pickens Jr.
Prostate cancer is when cells in the male reproductive gland, the prostate gland, begin to grow uncontrollably. Pickens Jr. emphasized that early detection of the tumor is key in fighting this disease.
«I started getting annual check-ups 34 years ago. And started getting PSA tests when I was 41; now I’m 73», - he said. «My urologist said, 'Because you were so diligent in this part of your health, it worked to your advantage. We were able to catch it so early because you were being tested.'»
Fans of «Grey's Anatomy» are now worried that Pickens Jr. will leave the show. Since the actor has been battling the disease since 2024 and detected the cancer early, it seems like he won’t be leaving the series anytime soon. However, only time will tell
© Kolganov Andrey
