Jeff Bridges Shares Health Update After Cancer Battle

Jeff Bridges says he’s ‘feeling good’ nearly 5 years after cancer diagnosis, but dealing with ‘long-term’ Covid effects

Jeff Bridges is sharing some good news pertaining to his health.

The “Big Lebowski” star, 75, told People in an interview published Friday that his health is “very good” and he’s “feeling good” almost five years after he was diagnosed with lymphoma.

“Some things, it’s hard to tell if it’s the cancer and the Covid or if it’s just old age,” he said, adding that he has encountered some memory issues and that he believes he’s dealing with some “long-term” effects from Covid-19.

“I can’t smell,” Bridges said.

In October 2020, the actor shared his cancer diagnosis via X.

“Although it is a serious disease, I feel fortunate that I have a great team of doctors and the prognosis is good,” Bridges wrote at the time. “I’m starting treatment and will keep you posted on my recovery.”

The following year, he shared an update on his personal website, saying his cancerous mass had shrunk to the “size of a marble.”

He also said he was recovering from a severe bout of Covid-19 at the time, believing he caught the virus after being exposed at the facility where he was receiving chemotherapy treatment.

While he assured his coronavirus symptoms were “in the rear view mirror,” he wrote that “my dance with Covid makes my cancer look like a piece of cake.”

“Covid kicked my ass pretty good, but I’m double vaccinated and feeling much better now,” Bridges wrote. “While I had moments of tremendous pain … getting close to the pearly gates, all in all, I felt happy and joyous most of the time. This brush with mortality has brought me a real gift — life is brief and beautiful.”

The Oscar-winner recently wrapped his FX series “The Old Man” and is gearing up to appear in the third installment of the “Tron” franchise, out later this year.

CNN’s Sandra Gonzalez contributed to this report.

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Jeff Bridges Says He’s Feeling ‘Very Good’ Following Cancer Battle, Though He Struggles with His ‘Memory’ (Exclusive)

The actor and musician revealed that he was diagnosed with lymphoma in October 2020 and went into remission in September 2021

Jeff Bridges is opening up about his health.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the actor and musician revealed how he’s feeling since going into remission after being diagnosed with lymphoma in October 2020.

Bridges, 75, said his health is “very good.”

“I’m feeling good,” he added, with the caveat that there’s “some things, it’s hard to tell if it’s the cancer and the COVID or if it’s just old age,”

Bridges noted that he sometimes struggles with his memory and believes he’s battling some “long-term” effects from COVID.

“I can’t smell,” he says. “My wife laughs at me, she says, ‘I haven’t showered in days. You can’t smell?’ Some positive sides to it, I suppose. Although I don’t mind her smell.”

Bridges initially shared his lymphoma diagnosis on Twitter in October 2020.

“Although it is a serious disease, I feel fortunate that I have a great team of doctors and the prognosis is good. I’m starting treatment and will keep you posted on my recovery,” he wrote at the time.

Jeff Bridges attends a conversation, Q&A and book signing for his new book 'Jeff Bridges: Pictures Vol. 2' at NeueHouse Los Angeles on October 15, 2019 in Hollywood, California — Jeff Bridges in Hollywood in October 2019.Tibrina Hobson/Getty

According to the Mayo Clinic, lymphoma is cancer that affects the lymphatic system. Its symptoms can include painless swelling of lymph nodes in your neck, armpits or groin, persistent fatigue, fever, night sweats, shortness of breath, unexplained weight loss and itchy skin.

In September 2021, The Old Man alum revealed that his lymphoma was in remission following months of treatment.

“The 9″ x 12″ mass has shrunk down to the size of a marble,” he wrote on his website.

Last month, Bridges shared an album of previously unreleased recordings called Slow Magic 1977-1978.

My Oscar: Jeff Bridges | Academy

On the project, The Big Lebowski star collaborated with Keefus Ciancia, Jean Sievers and Matt Sullivan.

The eclectic collection of jam sessions also features West Los Angeles artists and musicians of the era, including Burgess Meredith (Rocky, Batman), as well as members of Oingo Boingo.

“I was excited about [how] it was going to put me in contact with all these old friends that I had lost track of,” Bridges told PEOPLE of the LP. “And sure enough, it did that. It’s been a wonderful journey, realizing these tunes in this way.”

Slow Magic 1977-1978 is out now.

Jeff Bridges Shares Health Update After Cancer Battle

Jeff Bridges’ true grit has helped him through the hard times.

The Hell or High Water actor shared that he’s doing well nearly five years after he announced he was diagnosed with lymphoma, a blood cancer, and nearly four years after announcing he was in remission.

Jeff told People in an interview published May 9, “I’m feeling good.”

However, the 75-year-old admitted that he is facing some health challenges after battling a case of COVID-19 during his chemo treatment.

“Some things,” Jeff explained, “it’s hard to tell if it’s the cancer and the COVID or if it’s just old age.”

As for what ailments he’s currently facing, the Tron star explained, “I can’t smell.”

But the challenges have turned into smiles with his wife, Susan Geston, who he met while filming Rancho Deluxe in 1975.

“My wife laughs at me,” he continued. “She says, ‘I haven’t showered in days. You can’t smell?’ Some positive sides to it, I suppose. Although I don’t mind her smell.”

Jeff Bridges Reveals Whether He Will Ever Tire of People Calling Him His Big Lebowski Character ‘The Dude’ (Exclusive)

The actor/musician just shared his never-before-released album ‘Slow Magic 1977-1978’ on Saturday, April 12

Jeff Bridges has thoughts on the character name that has defined his career.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the actor/musician opened up about whether he will ever tire of being called his character “The Dude” from The Big Lebowski.

“Not really,” he says. “I’m so fond of that movie and so happy that I’m a part of it.”

Bridges adds that it’s “a great movie.”

Actor Jeff Bridges hosts "The Big Lebowski" Screening: An Evening With The Dude — Jeff Bridges in Los Angeles on April 16, 2025.Michael Tullberg/Getty

He also revealed that the movie people quote to him the most is Starman.

“It’s about an alien who’s trying to be as human as possible,” Bridges begins.

He continues, “He comes to a stoplight, and Karen Allen’s character is next to me, and she says, ‘Stop. Stop.’ And I go through the light and she says, ‘Did you see that light?’ He goes, ‘I watched you very carefully. Red light stop, green light go, yellow light go very fast.'”

But years later, the Bad Times at El Royale star is still focused onThe Big Lebowski — and will be doing interviews at screenings around Los Angeles.

“I [will] give a Q&A that’ll be centered around photographs that I took while making that movie,” says Bridges of the events. “I take pictures with a wide-lux camera that they don’t make anymore.”

He adds: “My wife Susan and I are in the process of recreating that camera. So that’s what the Lebowski thing will be about.”

Bridges says that while he’s “biased,” The Big Lebowski remains “one of my favorite movies.”

“And it’ll be centered around the photographs that I took during the making of that,” he says of the screenings.

Emotions? They're no big thing, man!' Jeff Bridges on satisfaction, silver linings – and his secret life in music | Music | The Guardian

Bridges shared an album of previously unreleased recordings called Slow Magic 1977-1978 on Saturday, April 12.

The Old Man alum worked on the project last year with Keefus Ciancia, Jean Sievers and Matt Sullivan and features West Los Angeles artists and musicians of the era, including Burgess Meredith (Rocky, Batman) and members of Oingo Boingo.

The result is an eclectic collection of jam sessions among friends that recall the era.

Jeff Bridges Shares Health Update After Cancer Battle

Jeff Bridges shared that he is feeling “very good” in remission nearly five years after being diagnosed with lymphoma, a form of blood cancer.

Jeff Bridges’ true grit has helped him through the hard times.

Jeff told People in an interview published May 9, “I’m feeling good.”

However, the 75-year-old admitted that he is facing some health challenges after battling a case of COVID-19 during his chemo treatment.

“Some things,” Jeff explained, “it’s hard to tell if it’s the cancer and the COVID or if it’s just old age.”

As for what ailments he’s currently facing, the Tron star explained, “I can’t smell.”

But the challenges have turned into smiles with his wife, Susan Geston, who he met while filming Rancho Deluxe in 1975.

“My wife laughs at me,” he continued. “She says, ‘I haven’t showered in days. You can’t smell?’ Some positive sides to it, I suppose. Although I don’t mind her smell.”

Jeff originally revealed his lymphoma diagnosis in October 2020. At the time, he shared that he was staying positive.

“Although it is a serious disease, I feel fortunate that I have a great team of doctors and the prognosis is good,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) at the time. “I’m starting treatment and will keep you posted on my recovery.”

Less than a year later, the Iron Man actor shared the good news that he was in remission, and wrote on his website that his 9″ x 12″ mass had “shrunk down to the size of a marble.”

Book to TV adaptations, The Old Man, Jeff Bridges

Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Kahlua

And while the combination of cancer and COVID led him to need an oxygen tank back in 2021, he didn’t let that stop him from performing his dad duties for daughter Hayley, 38.

“I had a goal—walking my daughter Hayley down the aisle,” Jeff—who is also dad to Isabelle, 43 and Jessica, 41, with Susan—shared on his website at the same time he announced his remission. “I was able to, not only walk Hay down the aisle, but do the father/bride dance with her without oxygen.”

For more celeb cancer survivors who have opened up about their journeys, read on.

Colin Egglesfield

The *All My Children* alum announced in January 2025 that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, his third cancer diagnosis throughout his life.

Despite the devastating news, he announced (for the third time) in February 2025 he was cancer-free following successful surgery and treatments.

“Remember, you’re not defined by any of your challenges,” he wrote in his February 2025 Instagram update. “You’re grander than it all. I’m not my fear, my anxiousness or my scars but I embrace it all because the only way to transform it is to own it.”

Gerry Turner

The former *Golden Bachelor* star shared in Dec. 2024 that he had been diagnosed with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, a bone cancer.

“Unfortunately, there’s no cure for it,” Gerry noted to *People* at the time. “So that weighs heavily in every decision I make. It was like 10 tons of concrete were just dropped on me. And I was a bit in denial for a while, I didn’t want to admit to it.”

Jim Beaver

The actor, known for roles in *The Boys* and *Supernatural*, shared on Feb. 3, 2023, that he had battled prostate cancer for years and was cancer free.

Ariana Madix

“I had to have a lil bit o’cancer removed from my body and lymph nodes biopsied,” the Vanderpump Rules star revealed to fans at the close of 2018. “(In the clear now!)”

Marcia Cross

The *Desperate Housewives* star revealed to fans in September 2018 that she survived anal cancer. “After posting a picture of myself here and uttering the words #cancer and #hairloss, I feel liberated, deliriously free and completely me,” she shared on Instagram.

Dustin Hoffman

The two-time Oscar winner underwent successful treatment for cancer, and his rep confirmed to E! News that doctors deemed Hoffman “**surgically cured**.”

Hugh Jackman

The *X-Men* star was treated for his third basal cell carcinoma back in 2014, and after his third treatment, Jackman’s rep **told E! News** that he’s “all good” now.

In April 2023, Hugh had two biopsies for additional basal cell carcinoma. At the time, he told fans, “If I can just take this opportunity to remind you summer is coming for those of us in the northern hemisphere, please wear sunscreen.”

Camille Grammer, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills — Camille Grammer

The former *Real Housewives of Beverly Hills* star celebrated one year of being cancer-free in January. The mother of two was diagnosed with endometrial cancer back in 2013 and underwent a radical hysterectomy.

Then in 2017, Camille had surgery to remove Squamous Cell Carcinoma, a type of skin cancer.

Cobie Smulders

The *Avengers: Age of Ultron* actress battled **ovarian cancer** at the age of 25 and overcome odds when she welcomed two children with husband **Taran Killam**.

Dr. Drew Pinsky

TV host reveals he underwent surgery for prostate cancer in July 2013 and has since been given a clean bill of health.

Brooke Burke-Charvet — Brooke Burke

The *Dancing with the Stars* cohost underwent **successful surgery for thyroid cancer**. The mother of four **tweeted**, “Thx for all the twitter love. I’m [home] recovering & resting.”

Angie Everhart

“MY DR CALLED ME ON A SAT. MORNING TO TELL ME I AM CANCER FREE!!!!! #wootothemotherf–kinhoo,” the actress **tweeted** after receiving the **good news**.

Christina Applegate, Critics' Choice Movie Awards — Christina Applegate

The *Up All Night* star was declared **“100-percent clear”** of breast cancer after treatment and a double mastectomy.

Michael C. Hall, Comic-Con — Michael C. Hall

The *Dexter* star used a hiatus from his hit series to **slay Hodgkin’s lymphoma**.

Michelle Monaghan

The Australian actress revealed in October 2011 that she had a **cancerous mole removed** from her calf after her hubby encouraged her to get the suspicious-looking mark checked out.

Ewan McGregor

The Scot is trainspotting just fine these days after having a cancerous mole removed from beneath his right eye.

Sheryl Crow

The singer **beat breast cancer** in 2004 with a “minimally invasive” lumpectomy and radiation therapy.

Michael Douglas

The Oscar winner **declared** in early 2011 that his tumor was gone and he had throat cancer “beat.”

Edie Falco

The Emmy winner **whacked breast cancer** in 2004.

Anderson Cooper

Surely the CNN veteran wears his SPF when he’s braving the elements now after having a **cancerous growth removed** from under his left eye in 2008.

Kylie Minogue, Vanity Fair Oscar Party — Kylie Minogue

The Australian pop star **underwent successful surgery** for breast cancer in 2005.

Barry Watson

The *7th Heaven* star was **diagnosed** with Hodgkin’s disease when he was only 28. He’s 50 now and looking good!

Maura Tierney, Golden Globes — Maura Tierney

The ER fave had to abandon her role in *Parenthood* to fight breast cancer in 2009—but her treatment was a success and she was back on the red carpet in no time.

Sharon Osbourne, TV Salary Gallery — Sharon Osbourne

The *America’s Got Talent* judge was diagnosed with colon cancer while shooting *The Osbournes* in 2002 and used the opportunity to stress the importance of regular screenings while **attacking** the #@%! with chemotherapy. She was declared **cancer-free** the following year.

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