Val Kilmer wants the world to know he’s alive and well. The actor chose to address his health in a lengthy Facebook post after his friend Michael Douglas alleged he was suffering from throat cancer during a Q&A with Jonathan Ross in London on Sunday, October 30.
“I love Michael Douglas but he is misinformed,” he wrote. “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, which prevented me from continuing a tour of my play CITIZEN TWAIN. I ended up using a team at UCLA and have no cancer whatsoever. I still have a swollen tongue and am rehabbing steadily.”
The Ant-Man actor, 72, sparked concern for Kilmer when he spoke about working with him on the 1996 thriller 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,” he said, referring to his own oral cancer diagnosis. “And things don’t look too good for him. My prayers are with him. That’s why you haven’t heard too much from Val lately."
Although Douglas’ rep later told Us Weekly that the star was "under the assumption" that Kilmer was ill when he spoke with Ross, Kilmer wanted to update his worried supporters himself.
“Some fans have mistakenly thought my silence about my personal issues meant that somehow I wasn't being responsible to my health, because of my reliance on prayer and Love,” the Christian Scientist said. “Nothing could be further from the truth. Altho I am very grateful for all the support from around the world, when people found out I had a physical challenge.”
He wanted Douglas to know there were no hard feelings over his comments and added: “Whatever led Michael Douglas to speculate about my health, he's a loving and devoted friend to a privileged group of talent people around the world, and I'm sure he meant no harm.”
As previously reported, rumors circulated in January 2015 that Kilmer was recovering from throat tumor surgery. The Top Gun star denied the reports in a Facebook post then too.
He also slammed rumors in October 2015 that he was battling cancer and was wheelchair-bound.
