To millions, he’s Dr. Richard Webber, the OG surgeon who holds it down at Grey Sloan. But now, James Pickens Jr., the 73-year-old actor, is stepping out of the operating room and dropping some crucial real talk: early testing saved his life from prostate cancer.
In a recent move for the culture, Pickens hit Instagram (Nov. 14) and linked up with Black Health Matters to share his journey. His message is plain: he is “living proof” that getting that annual checkup, especially the early detection screen, straight up “works.”
👨🏾⚕️ Knowing the History, Trusting the Process
Pickens has always been serious about his annual checkups, and for good reason. Prostate cancer runs deep in his bloodline, touching his father, uncles, and cousins across multiple generations.
“It’s not the kind of news anyone wants to hear,” he reflected on his diagnosis. But given his family’s history, he adds, he “would have been surprised if I hadn’t gotten it.” The good news? Due to this family diligence, he said, “No one, as far as I know, has succumbed to it.”
Because his family kept it 100 about their health history, Pickens started getting his PSA testing earlier than most men. When a routine test flagged a concern in 2024, it led to a biopsy and the discovery of a tumor. But here’s the key: a follow-up scan confirmed the cancer had not spread. He was able to undergo a robotic procedure to remove the prostate part.
🚨 Detected Early: A Wake-Up Call for the Community
Doctors were stunned by how early they caught it. Pickens’ cancer was detected so unusually early, they told him, that they rarely see cases caught at that stage.
In a weird twist of fate—or maybe destiny—his real-life diagnosis unfolded right alongside a major storyline on Grey’s Anatomy, where his character, Webber, was also diagnosed with cancer in the midseason finale.
Pickens knows the fear is real. He is hoping that by speaking out, he can help dismantle the long-standing trepidation that Black men have about medical testing.
“Where we are and how we view the medical community, especially as African American men,” he stressed, matters deeply. “We know the history of that…our trepidation about being tested, and getting something as simple as a physical.”
The numbers don’t lie: prostate cancer is a major threat, affecting 1 in 6 Black men (compared to 1 in 8 men overall), and Black men are twice as likely to die from it. With inherited factors accounting for up to 60% of cases, knowing your family’s history is literally a life-saving move.
The message from the OG is simple and urgent: Don’t wait. Early detection is a life saver. Get that checkup
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