Val Kilmer has acknowledged his diagnosis of oral cancer.
For months, Kilmer’s health was the subject of rampant speculation after he was spotted visiting the UCLA Medical Center in January 2015. He subsequently disappeared from the limelight, having not a single film credit from 2014 to 2016. Last year, Kilmer’s friend Michael Douglas disclosed Kilmer’s health problems during a Q&A event commemorating the 20th anniversary of The Ghost and the Darkness. “Val was a wonderful guy who is dealing with exactly what I had, and things don’t look too good for him,” Douglas said. “My prayers are with him. That’s why you haven’t heard too much from Val lately.”
Kilmer initially disputed Douglas’ claims, saying in a statement released in November 2016 that he had “no cancer whatsoever.” However, asked again about Douglas’ claims during a reddit AMA last week, Kilmer acknowledged his health problems, as EW points out.
“He was probably trying to help me cause press probably asked where I was these days, and I did have a healing of cancer, but my tongue is still swollen altho healing all the time,” Kilmer revealed. “Because I don’t sound my normal self yet people think I may still be under the weather.
Fortunately, Kilmer appears to be on the mend. He recently appeared in Terrence Malick’s Song to Song, and he’s secured roles in several more forthcoming films, including the sequel to Top Gun.
