James Pickens Jr. Navigates Real-Life Health Battle Mirroring His Grey's Anatomy Storyline

Actor James Pickens Jr. has received a prostate cancer diagnosis, coincidentally as his Grey’s Anatomy character faces a comparable medical crisis on the program.

“No one desires to receive this type of news, but truthfully, prostate cancer is prevalent in my family history,” the 73-year-old Pickens recently shared with Black Health Matters. “My father suffered from it. He had numerous brothers, and several of them also had it. I would have been astonished if I had not developed it myself.”

He further noted, “I have a 90-year-old first cousin, who is still alive, in fact, [and] he had it. His son has it, a couple of his brothers had it. To my knowledge, no one has succumbed to it.”

Pickens has portrayed Dr. Richard Webber across all 22 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy. Richard, who recently reassumed his role as chief of surgery, disclosed in the concluding moments of the Thursday, November 13, installment that he had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer. (Richard’s wife Catherine Fox, played by Debbie Allen, is also living with cancer.)

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Regarding Pickens, his diagnosis occurred earlier this year.

“I began undergoing my annual physical examinations 34 years ago, and initiated my PSA testing when I was 41. I am currently 73,” he recounted to the publication. “My urologist informed me, ‘Your diligence in this aspect of your health proved advantageous. We managed to detect it at such an early stage because you were regularly screened.’”

Pickens learned in January that a tumor was present on his prostate, though it had not metastasized. He subsequently opted for a prostatectomy, a surgical procedure involving the removal of the prostate gland.

“We discovered it quite early, so they believed that would be the optimal course of action,” Pickens clarified. “I do possess a rare variant that is uncommonly encountered. They wanted to proceed with caution and monitor it closely. It was rare enough that they wished to ensure all precautions were taken, but they had not encountered a case detected as early as mine.”

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Even prior to his diagnosis, Pickens maintained vigilance regarding cancer screenings.

“My father had prostate cancer. It did not claim his life, but he had it. He also had two brothers, I believe, who also had it,” the actor exclusively revealed to Us Weekly in September 2024. “It was something I felt obligated to be diligent about as I considered my own well-being. I started being quite proactive when I turned around, I suppose about 50, and began getting yearly prostate exams.”

Pickens further aimed to heighten awareness for prostate cancer, which stands as the most frequently diagnosed type of cancer among men in the United States.

“I thought it was profoundly important that as Black men, we needed to be more cognizant of how this disease impacts our community,” he told Us at the time. “There is a much higher prevalence in the African American community.”