ESPN Anchor Jay Harris Shares Prostate Cancer Diagnosis: ‘I’m Coming Back Better Than Ever’

The 60-year-old journalist is scheduled to undergo surgery to remove his prostate on June 10.

Jay Harris attends the 54th NAACP Image Awards Golf Invitational, A PGD Global Production at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles on Feb. 21, 2023. Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images for Play Golf Designs Inc.

More than a month ago, Jay Harris, a longtime anchor of ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” received the news that he has prostate cancer. Now, he is opening up about his diagnosis in the hopes of ending the stigma surrounding the disease.

“We all need to talk about these things because we all have them in our families, and by not talking about them ... I hate to be morbid, but we sentence ourselves to death,” Harris, 60, said during a June 5 appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

In a personal essay shared with ESPN’s Front Row, the veteran journalist said the diagnosis was jarring, but not unexpected. His father once battled the very same disease—and overcame it.

According to the American Cancer Society, some prostate cancer cases are hereditary, but the vast majority of diagnoses occur in men who have no family history. Men over the age of 50 are at a heightened risk of developing the disease, which is most commonly diagnosed in those 65 and older.

Symptoms of prostate cancer, which is typically slow-growing, vary from person to person, but may include bloody urine or semen, and frequent urination.

“My goal in sharing this is to join the many others who also want to normalize this conversation and hopefully provide a bit of guidance and preparation, just as it has been offered to me,” Harris wrote.

“Prostate cancer has impacted so many people. Consider that the American Cancer Society estimates there will be more than 310,000 new cases of prostate cancer in 2025. If I can use my voice to help anyone in that number, that’s what I want to do.”

Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of death among American men, the American Cancer Society reports. However, the disease is often highly treatable when detected early, with a five-year survival rate after diagnosis of around 99 percent.

Harris said his most recent PET scan showed that his cancer had not spread, and his doctor is very optimistic about his prognosis.

The broadcaster, who joined ESPN in 2003, is scheduled to undergo surgery on June 10 to remove his prostate gland and will be taking time away from the news desk to recover. He said he hopes to be back to work in about a month or so—“100 percent healthy.”

“And then I’m coming back, better than ever,” he told “Good Morning America” co-host Michael Strahan.