Ben Stiller Discusses Overcoming Prostate Cancer: "I Was Really Fortunate"

In early October, Ben Stiller revealed he had recently battled prostate cancer during a heartbreaking interview on Howard Stern's SiriusXM radio show. Since then he's kept a pretty low profile, but the Zoolander 2 star appeared on the Today show's #NoShaveToday segment on Tuesday morning to raise awareness for the early-detection test that helped save his life. "I was really fortunate, my course of treatment was basically an operation and that was it," the 50-year-old actor told host Matt Lauer. "Anyone who has had cancer, you know you have to keep on checking on it, but I'm really fortunate." Ben described learning of his diagnosis two years ago as "surreal" and that he's now happily cancer-free after undergoing the surgery to have his prostate removed.

The procedure can occasionally come with negative side effects for sexual function, but Ben joked that he's doing great. "When you're confronted with the question of, 'Hey — do you want to live or do you want to make sure your sex life is the best it can be?', I opted for wanting to get rid of the cancer and then seeing what happens," he said of choosing the surgery. "And luckily, everything's cool." The actor has been married to wife Christine Taylor since 2000 and is father to the couple's two children, Ella and Quinlin.