Michael Douglas: I Lied – I Actually Had Tongue Cancer

By K.C. Blumm

10/11/2013 at 08:00 PM EDT

The world was shocked when Michael Douglas announced he had stage four throat cancer in August 2010, but the Oscar winner now reveals that he wasn't telling the whole truth.

In an interview with Samuel L. Jackson on the U.K. talk show This Morning the actor, 69, admitted Thursday that he'd actually successfully battled tongue – not throat – cancer.

"This was right before I had a big tour for Wall Street, so we said, 'There's no way we can cancel the tour and say we don't feel well,'" Douglas admitted. "I said, 'You've just got to come out and just tell them I've got cancer and that's it.'"

His doctor, who'd found a walnut-size tumor at the base of Douglas's tongue, warned the actor that he might not want to reveal that he had a disease with such a negative prognosis on the eve of a massive press tour.

"The surgeon said, 'Let's just say it's throat cancer,'" the Last Vegas star reveals, explaining that the doctor told him that if they had to do surgery for tongue cancer "it's not going to be pretty," and that Douglas faced losing part of his jaw and tongue.

Rather than having to discuss possible facial disfigurement with scores of reporters on the press tour, they decided to disguise the truth.

Douglas, who's currently separated from wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, underwent aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatment and was declared tumor-free in January 2011.

Revolution said:

Didn't he say he got it from going down on some bad pussy? I mean, who eats bad pussy?

No he said he got it through throat cancer. Apparently he recanted that bad pussy was the cause of his cancer after it came out and people were trying to "praise" him. I don't know why he had to lie about it.

I thought his cancer was HPV related? You can't see HPV as it's viral. Therefore, you wouldn't be able to tell if someone was infected or not. It's not like a woman who has a bacterial or yeast infection which one would notice. It's kind of scary this stuff happens.

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Many types of cervical cancers are also HPV related.

Tempest said:

I thought his cancer was HPV related? You can't see HPV as it's viral. Therefore, you wouldn't be able to tell if someone was infected or not. It's not like a woman who has a bacterial or yeast infection which one would notice. It's kind of scary this stuff happens.

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Many types of cervical cancers are also HPV related.

Apparently he recanted he got an HPV virus.

I find the whole thing so bizarre. Why would he lie in the first place when no one really gives a damn about what type or how he got it. The fact is that most people feel, at the very least, sympathy for someone who is diagnosed with cancer. His explanation doesn't make sense at all either but whatever. Glad he's doing better.

The strange thing is WHY would he lie about it being oral sex related (HPV) and then change his tune? Normally, one would typically do the reverse. Usually one would lie and say "it's cancer" not "it's cancer and I got it from having oral sex". In other words, the having oral sex part would have been left out on the first statement (not redacted on the second go). It is bizarre.

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I'm too am glad he's doing better. Cancer is the pits.

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[Edited 10/13/13 1:15am]

He said he lied cause if the media knew he had tongue cancer, treatment can result in loss of tongue and jawbone, he would constantly have to discuss the cancer instead of the movie he was promoting at the time.

I think the throat cancer and HPV blew up cause it was a hot mess story, saying that Douglas was a pussy hound and could have got it from Zeta. That shit wrote itself.

[Edited 10/13/13 8:51am]

doublepost

[Edited 10/13/13 8:52am]

Michael Douglas himself said it was HPV and caused by having oral sex.

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http://www.cbsnews.com/83...-epidemic/

It seems impossible that a walnut-sized tumor could just go away with radiation & chemo

morningsong said:

This makes absolutely no sense, it just makes him look weird.

That's because he was selling his film, he had to do something to get the public's interest. Even something as serious as cancer (of any kind).

I think it's funny this thread is titled "Kirk Douglas' son..." as if no one knows who Michael Douglas is without the reference.

this feels creepy in a way. hope he recovers

Timmy84 said:

morningsong said:

This makes absolutely no sense, it just makes him look weird.

That's because he was selling his film, he had to do something to get the public's interest. Even something as serious as cancer (of any kind).

So more people will go see his film if he had throat cancer, then if he had tongue cancer? Okay, I guess the not wanting to go through a whole lot of explanation of what it's all going to take regarding disfigurement and reconstruction, but the addition of getting it from cunnilingus , which of course promotes having to have a whole bunch of conversation which I thought they wanted to avoid. Really? Was that suppose to make him sexy? That ain't sexy to me, maybe I'm an oddball.