Several famous names and faces went public with their health diagnoses in 2024, with many urging people to get regular screenings and pay attention to their bodies.
Some shared the first symptoms that signaled cancer or other medical concerns.
Here are five of many celebrity health revelations shared this year:
James Van Der Beek
The former “Dawson’s Creek” star revealed he’s been diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
“There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good,” the actor, 47, said in a statement in November.
“I’m in a good place and feeling strong.”
Van Der Beek’s first symptoms were changes to his bowel movements, he told People.
Such changes can include narrow stools or an unproductive urge to have a bowel movement, though the most common colorectal cancer warning sign is rectal bleeding, doctors say.
The actor learned he had cancer after undergoing a colonoscopy and is receiving treatment, though he didn’t specify the type. Colorectal cancer can be treated with medication, surgery and chemotherapy, according to the American Cancer Society.
Like many people, Van Der Beek thought colon cancer was an older person’s disease, but it’s now the leading cause of cancer death in men under 50, the American Cancer Society notes. This may be due to factors such as eating more processed foods, higher rates of alcohol consumption, obesity and more sedentary lifestyles.
Jenna Fischer
The actress, best known to fans as receptionist Pam Beesly in “The Office,” announced in October she had been treated for Stage 1 breast cancer.
“After completing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation I am now cancer free,” Fischer, 50, wrote on Instagram. “I’m happy to say I’m feeling great.”
The diagnosis came after a routine mammogram showed “something in my left breast,” she added. Since Fischer has dense breasts, which can make cancer harder to spot, doctors recommended a follow-up breast ultrasound, she told TODAY.
The tumor was so small it couldn’t be felt on a physical exam, so Fischer urged women to get their annual screening.
“If I had waited six more months, it could have been much worse. It could have spread. It was a very aggressive form of cancer,” Fischer said.
She underwent a lumpectomy to remove the tumor in January and received 12 rounds of chemotherapy and three weeks of radiation. She continues to receive medication infusions.
Jamie Foxx
The Academy Award-winning actor finally explained what caused the illness that left him hospitalized and suffering from memory loss last year.
It was “a brain bleed that led to a stroke,” Foxx, 56, said in his Netflix special, “Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was…” — released on Dec. 10, 2024. He also revealed he came close to death.
Foxx recalled experiencing an intense headache on April 11, 2023, which led to hospitalization and 20 days where he couldn’t remember what happened. Foxx said he woke up on May 4 in a wheelchair.
Following physical therapy, the actor said he was starting to feel like himself again.
“We still don’t know exactly what happened to me. All I can tell you is that I appreciate every prayer because I needed every prayer,” he said in the special.
Dave Coulier
The “Full House” star revealed in November he’s been diagnosed with Stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.
He was startled to find a golf-ball-sized lump in his groin — an enlarged lymph node that turned out to be a symptom of the cancer.
Other warning signs include unexplained fever, night sweats and fatigue, according to the National Cancer Institute.
“(I was) feeling like I got punched in the stomach because it never happens to you. You always hear about it happening to someone else,” Coulier, 65, told TODAY.
He started chemotherapy and expects a “total remission” when he finishes treatment by February 2025.
Coulier shared an emotional moment with TODAY’s Al Roker, a prostate cancer survivor, when the two men hugged in Studio 1A.
Christie Brinkley
The model, who recently posed for Sports Illustrated at age 70, announced in March that she was diagnosed with skin cancer.
The basal cell carcinoma on her temple was caught early and removed, she wrote on Instagram.
This most common type of skin cancer grows slowly and often shows up as a non-healing spot that sometimes bleeds, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.
It often develops on sun-exposed areas of the body such as the face, the American Cancer Society notes.
Brinkley said she was “lucky” a skin doctor spotted it while she accompanied one of her children to their appointment.
“At the VERY end I asked if he could just look at a little tiny dot I could feel as I applied my foundation. He took a look and knew immediately it needed a biopsy! He did it then and there!” she wrote.
