Podcaster and Vine star Matt King has been diagnosed with skin cancer.
King, 31, revealed the news on the June 12th episode of the Unfiltered podcast with Zane Hijazi and Heath Hussar.
King, who hosts the Hoot & a Half podcast, said that he was diagnosed with “basal cell carcinoma, the most treatable form of skin cancer there is.”
Per the Mayo Clinic, “basal cell carcinoma is a type of skin cancer” that is “thought to be caused by long-term exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight.” The Clinic added that this type of skin cancer “is most often treated with surgery to remove all of the cancer and some of the healthy tissue around it.”
King also revealed that he got the call “an hour” before joining Unfiltered for their recording. “I was watching the Mavs game… at a friend’s house nearby,” he recalled. “I’m in shock but luckily I was with my friend, who is a nurse and he’s like, ‘Oh dude, you’re fine.’ And I’m like, ‘Okay, I am fine.’ “
King then shared that his “mom has a history of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)” and had a melanoma spot removed from her skin more than 10 years ago. His doctor pointed out a spot that he described as a “freckle in the middle of a psoriasis spot” that he said “doesn’t even look like your typical cancer [spot].”
“However, I have the most mild form,” King said.
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Despite the news, King was in good spirits and reassured Hijazi, 31, and Hussar, 31, that “everything’s gonna be okay.” He then joked about “wearing ribbons” and “stripes” for “Matt appreciation month.”
King also posted a TikTok on Thursday, June 13, confirming his diagnosis. He also shared that he saw a dermatologist after he “was concerned about a spot on his leg that he had for a while.”
“That spot ended up being nothing,” King said. “I pointed out every other random spot on my body I’d been concerned about and she noticed a spot on my back that I never noticed. She took a biopsy, called me back a week later and told me it was basal cell carcinoma.”
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King clarified that he would be “just fine” and that he has a surgery scheduled in mid-July to get the cancer removed. He urged his followers to be “safe this summer” and “get a checkup with your dermatologist and ask them what type of sunscreen you should be wearing.”
“I’ve got that freckly-Irish skin [and] I’m very sensitive to the sun,” King said. “I’ve always been concerned about the really scary looking skin cancer spots and I never realized that what I have is cancerous.”
“Be safe, be smart, go get a checkup,” he concluded.
