It’s distressing to hear about celebrities suffering from health problems that make it hard for them to work and enjoy everyday life. Lewis Capaldi’s mental health struggles made it tough to keep performing, and Christina Applegate can’t act because of MS.
Val Kilmer is another star who has talked a lot about the health issues he has experienced. However, he wasn’t always ready to share. It was only when he had gone through the worst of it that he decided to let people know what was going on. This is understandable since getting a diagnosis can be very emotional.
Although Val Kilmer has talked about his throat cancer since 2017, there are still some details that people have questions about. Kilmer must have spent a great portion of his net worth after learning that he had throat cancer.
Val Kilmer Has A $10 Million Net Worth
Whenever Val Kilmer talks about throat cancer, it’s really hard to hear the clear pain and suffering that he has gone through. His candor has helped so many people, though. When he shares his story, it’s easy to forget that he’s an incredibly famous actor who has seen success for years. He has also made tons of money since he started out.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Val Kilmer has a $10 million net worth. When compared to other celebrities, this might not seem like a lot. Of course, there are actors who get paid $10 million for just one movie. But it’s still a substantial amount of money for someone to have.
Celebrity Net Worth reported that Val Kilmer has been highly paid for a lot of his most well-known roles. He was paid $6 million to star in The Island of Dr. Moreau in 1997. That same year, he starred in The Saint and made $7 million. In 1995, he starred in Batman Forever, which is the film that many recognize him for, and he was paid $7 million as well.
Kilmer has never wanted to be part of the Hollywood machine, though. He likes doing things his own way and that is why he made his 2019 movie Cinema Twain about Mark Twain. He is a huge fan and worked on the idea for a long time.
In 2011, when talking to Interview Magazine, Kilmer noted that he likes collaborating with others and being creative more than thinking of himself as a celebrity. He said, “Hollywood’s like a warehouse. It’s just a place that you go. What’s interesting in the warehouse has to do with the creative people. People are always great. Sean Penn’s an example of someone who was raised there, never had a problem with being there, and just found the people that he wanted to work with.”
How Much Did Val Kilmer’s Throat Cancer Recovery Cost?
Since Val Kilmer has a $10 million net worth, he would have been able to afford to pay for whatever he needed to recover from throat cancer. When he spoke to The New York Times in 2021, Val Kilmer explained that he had surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. He also had feeding and tracheostomy tubes.
These treatments all add up. According to Healthline, chemotherapy can be very expensive. The publication reported that chemo can set someone back $10,000-$200,000. According to CBS News, people who need a tracheostomy pay $102,399 “before insurance.”
It’s possible that Val Kilmer is a member of SAG-AFTRA and, therefore, has health care. However, there are many actors who have struggled with their health and who have said that they didn’t actually have coverage. According to the official SAG-AFTRA Health Plan website, an actor needs to make $26,470 each year in order to have insurance.
In March 2023, Entertainment Weekly reported that Shannen Doherty didn’t have health insurance. Since she has suffered from breast cancer for years, that was especially awful and stressful. In 2021, Deadline reported that Sharon Stone said she didn’t have insurance anymore, either. She said, I lost my vested insurance after 43 years in the business because of Covid. I was $13 short and, you know, I don’t really think that that is reasonable for any of us.”
It’s unclear what Val Kilmer made during the years that he was really suffering from throat cancer and needed to get better. However, he did take a break from acting between 2014 and 2017. It’s hard to know if he would have made enough to be covered by SAG’s plan.
While Val Kilmer hasn’t confirmed the exact cost of his throat cancer procedures, it seems like he must have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars. Even though he has a high net worth and that means that he could pay for these things, it still must have felt like an incredible amount of money. It’s also possible that he has his own health insurance and that would have cut down on the costs of treatment.
Since having throat cancer meant that he was unable to speak, Val Kilmer has been answering interview questions via email. He always seemed glad to have the opportunity to talk about his life. In 2017, Val Kilmer talked about throat cancer in an interview with Deadline. He explained more about why he waited to say that he had been diagnosed with the condition.
Kilmer said, “The first time I was asked if I had cancer, I answered truthfully that I had no cancer. As I hadn’t. If they had asked, have you had cancer, I would have said, yes, but it’s all healed now. Now, I just have to recover from the treatment from chemo and radiation. Somehow I was accused of not being forthright.”
Kilmer continued to Deadline, “Extraordinary assumptions are often made about others when one considers what a complete mystery our own bodies are to most of us. People are often afraid of what they don’t understand. I was. I’m so grateful I’ve experienced firsthand what consistent prayer and love can offer.”
While Val Kilmer has said that he is fine now, he went through an awful ordeal that must have taken a toll mentally and physically. In 2021, Mercedes Kilmer, his daughter, explained to Extra TV, “The recovery process is just as grueling as the actual disease.”