Grey’s Anatomy star James Pickens Jr., who has been on the show for 20 years, is now the epitome of the famous phrase, “life imitates art,” but for an unfortunate reason. Like his character on the show, the 73-year-old actor revealed that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
“We caught it really early, and so they thought that would be the best route to take,” Pickens Jr. explained during an interview with BlackHealthMatters.com in November 2025. “I do have a rare variant that you don’t see very often. They wanted to err on the side of caution and keep an eye on it. It was rare enough that they wanted to make sure that they were crossing all the T’s and dotting all their I’s. But they hadn’t seen one that was detected as early as mine.”
Below, learn more about Pickens Jr.’s health in reality versus that of his on-screen character.
Pickens Jr. plays the role of Dr. Richard Webber, whose cancer diagnosis was unveiled during the season 22 midseason finale. His specific type of cancer was not immediately revealed.
Yes, Pickens Jr. revealed his prostate cancer was diagnosed early during a November 2025 interview with BlackHealthMatters.com.
“It’s not the kind of news anyone wants to hear, but to be honest, prostate cancer has run through my family,” the actor explained. “My father had it. He had a lot of brothers; several of them had it. I would have been surprised if I hadn’t gotten it. I’ve got a 90-year-old first cousin, who’s still alive, actually; he had it. His son has it. A couple of his brothers had it. No one, as far as I know, has succumbed to it.”
