Dave Portnoy recently had a run-in with the big “C”—and no, not carbs.
In a video posted on X (not your ex, the app formerly known as Twitter) on Wednesday, the 47-year-old Barstool Sports guru spilled the beans about his new, unexpected role: cancer survivor.
“I had cancer. And guess what? I kicked its butt,” Dave proudly declares in the video, while chatting with coworker Rico Bosco. “Thankfully, it was the kind that says ‘boo’ and then runs away. I can’t quite tell if Bosco thinks cancer is the punchline to a joke or not.”
The video shows Dave sporting a neck bandage that screams, “I’m tough,” covering 10 stitches. “I don’t like to make a Broadway production out of this. I’ve got a scar down my neck that makes me look like I’m auditioning for the role of Frankenstein… but don’t worry, I’ll live to scare another day.”
On his BFFs podcast, Dave served up more details on his brush with the sun’s dark side, crediting his diagnosis to his love affair with tanning.
“It’s hard to whine about it. I bask in the sun like a lazy cat. It was a mole,” he said. “I’m starting to take adulting seriously, so I went to the doctor for a skin check. They took a little slice, and bingo! One of them came back with a nasty surprise.”
Diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, the most “basic” type of skin cancer, Dave now sees this health hiccup as another notch on his warrior belt.
“It’s not terrifying—I mean, okay, it is, but also not,” Dave muses. “Add it to my resume. I’ve survived a heart attack, cancer, and even a bee sting—take that, universe!”
I did have cancer. I beat it. It wasn’t the serious kind thank god. I can’t tell if Bosco thinks cancer is funny or not. pic.twitter.com/PCW9ZXZfAT
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) June 20, 2024