Montell Jordan was on the TODAY show this week, doing something brave—sharing that his prostate cancer has returned, in the hopes that talking about it publicly will help others.
The singer, who’s now 56 years old, said that almost a year after having his prostate removed, follow-up scans detected cancer in his lymph nodes and his prostate cancer is back. He said he felt “called to share his story,” so he’s part of a documentary premiering next year called “Sustain,” and has partnered with the nonprofit organization ZERO Prostate Cancer to raise awareness of the importance of regular prostate cancer screenings for Black men.
Montell told TODAY that he’s been getting routine prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screenings since his early 40s and early last year, it was because of that screening that he was diagnosed with Stage 1 prostate cancer. He said even though the news was alarming, finding out that “it was first stage for me… which is treatable, that was probably the saving grace.”
According to ZERO, Black men are 1.7 times more likely to develop prostate cancer and die at more than twice the rate of men of other backgrounds. Montell said he knows there’s a stigma surrounding prostate cancer, which keeps some men from talking about it, and getting screened, since it deals with manhood. That’s why he wanted to share his story, saying, “Your life is worth more than what a stigma presents or what a taboo presents. I need you guys to get checked.”
Sending love and prayers for quick healing to Montell! & Remember to always celebrate your magic! xo