Val Kilmer Admits Throat Cancer But Says He's On the Mend

Val Kilmer admitted Wednesday he did have throat cancer but said he had a "healing" after initially denying reports by Michael Douglas in November that he had the disease.

Kilmer, 57, confirmed the rumors during an April 26 Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) session, saying, "I did have a healing of cancer, but my tongue is still swollen altho healing all the time. Because I don’t sound my normal self yet people think I may still be under the weather."

Douglas made the remark about Kilmer in October 2016 in an interview about Douglas’ tongue cancer. “[Val] is dealing with exactly what I had and things don’t look too good for him,” Douglas said. “My prayers are with him.”

Kilmer denied the rumors days later, saying on Facebook, “I love Michael Douglas but he is misinformed.”

TMZ reported in February 2015 that Kilmer was operated on after bleeding in his throat led doctors to find a tumor.

At the time, family members told TMZ that Kilmer knew about the tumor since the summer of 2014, but didn’t want to seek treatment because of his Christian Scientist beliefs, which state that disease and sickness can be cured by prayer rather than medical treatment.

Kilmer was photographed running errands with his neck covered up and with a tracheostomy tube in 2015.

Kilmer appeared in many films over the last three decades, including “Top Gun,” “Tombstone,” the 1990s Batman movies, “The Ghost and the Darkness,” in which Douglas co-starred, and “True Romance.” 

• Val Kilmer Throat Tumor? Actor Denies Hospital Visit Was for Surgery
• Val Kilmer Frail-Looking in New Photos of Actor With Scarves Around Neck