Michael Douglas has apologized for claiming that his former costar Val Kilmer was battling the same type of throat cancer that he had, which the Heat actor later denied.
In a Facebook post Tuesday, November 15, Kilmer, 56, wrote, “Michael Douglas wrote me a nice note apologizing for suggesting to the press overseas, I ‘wasn’t doing too well …’ and was grateful to hear I am doing well. He’s a classy guy.” Then he recounted the stories of his first meetings with Douglas and his father, Kirk Douglas.
The Ant-Man actor, 72, sparked rumors about Kilmer’s health during a Q&A with Jonathan Ross in London in late October while speaking about the duo’s 1996 film The Ghost and the Darkness. “The picture didn’t turn out as well as I hoped but I had a wonderful time. Val was a wonderful guy who is dealing with exactly what I had, and things don’t look too good for him,” he said. “My prayers are with him. That’s why you haven’t heard too much from Val lately.”
Douglas’ rep later told Us Weekly that the actor was “under the assumption” that Kilmer was ill. “Michael has not spoken to Val in well over a year so if he doesn’t have throat cancer, great,” his rep told Us in a statement. “Michael qualified in his interview that he hasn’t spoken with him in a long time and wished him the best.”
The Top Gun star clarified that he does not have cancer, and the mix-up was due to the fact that he asked Douglas to recommend a doctor. “I love Michael Douglas, but he is misinformed,” Kilmer wrote on Facebook November 1. “The last time I spoke to him was almost two years ago, when I asked him for a referral for a specialist to get a diagnosis for a lump in my throat … I ended up using a team at UCLA and have no cancer whatsoever. I still have a swollen tongue and am rehabbing steadily.”
