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.”
![Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer](/wp-content/uploads/159304249_michael-douglas-val-kilmer-zoom-ad66e06a-883e-41cd-a9dd-9ee4b466745e.jpg?w=1000&quality=47&strip=all)
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.”