The actor who plays Gunther in the series Friends reveals being affected by a stage 4 cancer

 Sylvie Claire / June 22, 2021

James Michael Tyler, who is best known for playing Gunther - the manager of the Central Perk coffee shop and Rachel's secret admirer - in the series Friends announced that he was very ill during an appearance on The Today Show broadcast on NBC this Monday.

Actor James Michael Tyler, who played Gunther on the hit sitcom for 10 years, was unable to attend the recent cast reunion in person because he is dealing with a serious health issue. He has stage 4 prostate cancer that has spread to his bones and prevents him from being able to move.

Last month, James Tyler made an appearance via Zoom in the special episode Friends: The Reunion.

The special, available on the HBO Max platform, saw the lead actors - Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry - revisit some of the biggest moments on screen and discuss their respective memories.

When asked if the cast of Friends already knew about his illness, Tyler said the show's producers have known about it for a long time and that David Schwimmer had corresponded with him on Instagram, CNN's website reveals.