When Michael Douglas first revealed in 2013 that his throat cancer may have been caused by oral sex, the world gasped — but according to those close to him, no one was more stunned than Douglas himself. Behind the now-infamous quote was a moment of complete disbelief, confusion, and a sense of shame that the actor later admitted took him years to fully process.
The now 80-year-old actor had been diagnosed with stage 4 oropharyngeal cancer in 2010. At the time, Douglas told People magazine that he believed years of drinking and smoking were to blame. But during treatment, doctors delivered a gut-wrenching revelation: the likely root cause of his cancer was an aggressive strain of human papillomavirus (HPV) — transmitted through oral sex.
According to a 2013 interview with The Guardian, Douglas said candidly, “Without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by HPV, which actually comes from cunnilingus.” The quote ignited a media firestorm and sparked global conversations about sexually transmitted cancers — but what wasn’t widely known was how deeply that diagnosis shook him personally.
One of his close friends, speaking anonymously to Page Six, revealed, “Michael went home and locked himself in his room. He couldn’t believe it. He kept repeating, ‘I got cancer from what?!’” The actor reportedly grappled with feelings of guilt, especially considering the public scrutiny his marriage to Catherine Zeta-Jones was already facing at the time.
Michael Douglas learning his cancer came from HPV was reportedly “a moment of total disbelief.” #MichaelDouglas— Pop Culture Press (@popculturepress) August 6, 2025
Zeta-Jones, who stood by Douglas throughout his treatment, was reportedly caught off guard by his public revelation. As detailed in a Daily Mail article, Douglas later admitted that he didn’t warn her before making the statement, which led to tension between the two. “I probably should’ve given her a heads-up,” he said in a later interview.
Despite the backlash, Douglas’s disclosure sparked a global awareness movement around HPV-related throat cancers. Health organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, began using the incident to promote HPV vaccinations not just for women — as had previously been the focus — but also for men and boys.
Dr. Maura Gillison, a leading researcher who first established the link between HPV and throat cancer in a 2007 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, later told reporters that Douglas’s admission “did more for public education than a decade of medical conferences.”
Say what you want about Michael Douglas — but his HPV comment changed the conversation. Big time. #HPVCancer— Health Unfiltered (@Health_Unfiltered) August 6, 2025
But the actor’s initial public comments were soon walked back. In a statement to clarify the viral interview, his rep told BBC News that Douglas was not implying he contracted cancer directly from oral sex, but rather stating HPV as one potential cause. Still, the damage — or impact — was already done.
During a Today Show appearance in 2015, Douglas was more measured, saying, “I wanted people to understand that cancer doesn’t always come from what we think it does. And yeah, I was shocked too.”
His openness was later praised by the Oral Cancer Foundation, which noted that over 70% of oropharyngeal cancers in men under 60 are now linked to HPV. As explained in a comprehensive breakdown by WebMD, many people contract the virus without symptoms, making regular screenings critical.
Douglas’s candid response also triggered a wave of celebrities coming forward with their own HPV-related health scares. Actor Marcia Cross, best known for Desperate Housewives, revealed in a 2019 HuffPost interview that she’d been diagnosed with anal cancer linked to HPV, and praised Douglas for “making it okay to talk about it.”
Michael Douglas got dragged for the HPV thing. But now? He’s viewed as brave for speaking out. #CancerAwareness— Film & Health (@filmandhealth) August 6, 2025
Looking back, Douglas has said the experience was both terrifying and transformational. In a retrospective piece for GQ, he recalled losing 45 pounds during treatment, struggling to speak, and questioning his legacy. “I thought I was dying,” he said. “I just wanted to leave behind something meaningful.”
Today, Douglas is cancer-free and credits early intervention for saving his life. He’s also become a vocal advocate for HPV vaccination in young men, recently partnering with the HPV Roundtable to promote educational campaigns across the U.S. and Europe.
In a speech delivered at a cancer awareness fundraiser in London — reported on by Evening Standard — he concluded, “If my own embarrassment meant one person got vaccinated or caught this early, then it was worth it.”