Actress Amanda Peet has revealed that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Writing in an essay for The New Yorker, “The Whole Nine Yards” and “Changing Lanes” star opened up about when she was diagnosed and the treatment she has been able to access since learning the news about her condition.
Amanda Peet Reveals She Has Breast Cancer
Writing in The New Yorker, Peet revealed that she has had frequent check-ups due to the makeup of the tissue in her breasts. In the essay, the actress explained that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2025. Tragically, the news came at the same time that both her parents were terminally ill and receiving hospice care.
“For many years, I’ve been told that I have ‘dense’ and ‘busy’ breasts, not as a compliment but as a warning that they require extra monitoring,” she wrote. “I had been seeing a breast surgeon every six months for checkups. The Friday before Labour Day, I went for what I thought would be a routine scan.”
Peet went on to explain that her doctor “didn’t like the way something looked” and immediately sent her to get a biopsy.
The actress continued, “After the procedure, she said that she would walk the sample over to Cedars-Sinai and hand-deliver it to pathology. That’s when I knew.”
“Our parents, long divorced, were both in hospice, on opposite coasts,” Peet wrote in the essay. Our mother’s had started in June, but our father’s was only a week in, so we hadn’t expected him to go first. I flew to New York. I didn’t make it before my father took his last breath.”
She finished the piece by confirming that further tests had discovered a second benign mass and that she has subsequently had a lumpectomy and radiation treatment, leading to a clear scan in January of this year. Unfortunately, Peet’s mother also passed away at the start of 2026.
Sarah Paulson Praises Friend for Honesty About Diagnosis
Fellow actress Sarah Paulson has since praised Peet, who she calls her best friend, for the honest way she has spoken about her cancer diagnosis.
Writing on Instagram, Paulson paid an emotional and heartwarming message about the essay and Peet.
“My best friend, Amanda Peet—the weirdest thing in the world is to say her full name out loud, as I call her Bird—but that’s the name her parents gave her, Paulson wrote. ” [It] seems fitting to use here as she has written the most profoundly gorgeous essay about the loss of her parents, while dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis.”
She added, “[The New Yorker] has published it today, and I’m screaming from the rooftops with joy. I hope you all take the time to read it. If you are running around and doing other stuff, I did the audio recording and you can listen to me try to do the piece justice.”
I have always been a fan of Ms Peet. She is funny without even trying. I am so sorry that she has had a year from hell. Losing both your parents at almost the same time is unimaginable. I pray that she finds some peace & that she gets better soon, God bless.