A little over a week after insisting he does not have cancer, Val Kilmer appeared at an event but struggled to speak. He blamed his trouble on his swollen tongue.
People reported that on Thursday, Nov. 10, the actor appeared at an event in Los Angeles to introduce his play Citizen Twain. When he took the stage to address the audience and answer questions, however, he had difficulty getting his words out and began slurring and wiping his mouth repeatedly.
He then told those in attendance that his struggles were because his "tongue swelled up."
“I went into rehearsals down in Florida and started having trouble with my speech,” Kilmer said. “Obviously I’m still recovering. My tongue swelled up and I canceled the [Citizen Twain] tour. As I’m recovering I’m showing this.”
The 56-year-old admitted to having a swollen tongue prior to this event when he denied having cancer after fellow actor Michael Douglas said he did.
“I love Michael Douglas but he is misinformed,” Kilmer wrote in a social media post last week. “The last time I spoke to him was almost two years ago, when I asked him for a referral for a specialist to get a diagnosis for a lump in my throat, which prevented me from continuing a tour of my play CITIZEN TWAIN. I ended up using a team at UCLA and have no cancer whatsoever. I still have a swollen tongue and am rehabbing steadily.”