Sam Simon, the co-creator of The Simpsons with Matt Groening, has terminal colon cancer. Simon, who is already known in Hollywood for his philanthropy, has decided to give as much of his fortune to charity as he can before he dies.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter this week, Simon admitted that he has no idea how much he has already donated to charities. He has his own Sam Simon Foundation in Malibu and has worked with PETA, Save the Children and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. His foundation focuses on helping hungry people and saving stray dogs.
But five months ago, he was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. According to MSNBC, the nine-time Emmy winner first broke the news in May on WTF with Marc Maron.
Simon explained to THR that he doesn’t feel “obligated” to do this. “One of the things about animal rights, which is not the only thing that I care about in this world, is that your money can bring success,” Simon, 58, said. “I see results. There is stuff happening, really good stuff, every week.”
One of his main causes is animal rights and he is a major supporter of veganism. “I want medical experiments on animals stopped. They don't do anything, and they don't work,” he said, adding that “There's also the cruelty and suffering aspect. When people do meatless Mondays, and when people adopt instead of buying a dog, that's a PETA victory.”
Simon, who was only 24 when he was made showrunner of Taxi, is currently working on FX’s Anger Management and has a radio show on Radio.com. He told THR that he undergoes chemotherapy every other week. “I get every possible side effect -- fatigue, nausea -- and the chemo accumulates in your body, so today and tomorrow are, like, my two good days for the month,” he said. “So I'm feeling pretty good today, and, you know, we shall see.”
image: Fox