Summer House’s Jesse Solomon Has Been Open About His Testicular Cancer: Inside Health Scare
Summer House star Jesse Solomon opened up about his battle with testicular cancer during season 8 of the Bravo show. What has he said about his cancer battle and when did he go into remission?
What Type of Cancer Did ‘Summer House’ Star Jesse Solomon Have?
Jesse revealed he is a two-time cancer survivor during a full cast dinner featured on the February 29, 2024, episode of Summer House. While it initially started as testicular cancer, doctors later learned that the cancer has spread to his stomach.
“Testicular cancer is a growth of cells that starts in the testicles. The testicles, which are also called testes, are in the scrotum,” according to The Mayo Clinic. “Testicular cancer isn't a common type of cancer. It can happen at any age, but it happens most often between the ages of 15 and 45.”
When Did ‘Summer House’ Star Jesse Solomon Learn He Had Cancer?
The Bravo personality learned his diagnosis during a routine checkup in 2017 when he asked to be tested for sexually transmitted infections. He later learned he had been diagnosed with testicular cancer and had his testicle removed.
Jesse recalled feeling “totally fine” after the procedure, though said his doctors found cancer in the lymphnodes in his stomach one year later. The discovery meant that he had stage 2 testicular cancer.
“The first time I was diagnosed with cancer, it was weird because it was like, ‘Did I just have cancer?’ I just had a quick surgery,” he told his costars. “It was serious, obviously, but I didn’t feel like a cancer survivor.”
However, Jesse said he understood the severity of his cancer when he had to undergo four rounds of chemotherapy between July 2018 and September 2018. He then shared his 5-year checkup was scheduled for August 2023, which will be featured on the show.
What Has ‘Summer House’ Star Jesse Solomon Said About His Cancer Battle?
Jesse continued to open up about the health scare while speaking to Today in a profile published on March 14, 2024. “I felt like a twinge of pain in my testicle. I didn’t really think anything of it,” he told the outlet. “The doctor said, ‘You know it’s probably nothing but go get an ultrasound.’”
While reflecting on the chemotherapy, Jesse said he was “nauseous all the time and didn’t feel great.” He also added that he lost hair, including his eyebrows.
“I definitely had, like, tingling in the fingers and the toes and ringing in my ears,” the reality star shared.
Jesse also reflected on why he chose to share his experience on Summer House. “I thought my story could help people,” he explained. “A lot of people know someone who’s going through something similar whether it’s cancer or any sort of illness.”
“I want men to know that they should be giving themselves regular physical exams because that’s the best way to be able to tell if there’s something going on,” he added. “I caught it early … Maybe it will encourage other people to go and get checked.”
How Cancer Changed Jesse Solomon's Perspective on Life
Jesse exclusively told Life & Style in May 2024 that his cancer diagnosis had helped him to become more "easy going."
"I just find it really hard to care about the day-to-day minutia. I used to be really career oriented, and I still am, but less so and more so just focused on having fun," Jesse explained. "I would say my family has always been important to me but when I was down and out my family was there for me the whole time and it just emphasized the importance of having a super close family. When you can't take care of yourself, your friends are nice to have and might help a little, but your family will actually feed you. I'm just super grateful – I think it's the way I live now. It's been good!"
The Summer House star also talked about some of the things he wished he had known before his diagnosis.
"The best way to prevent cancer is early detection. There's no sure-fire cure but you have to regularly examine your nuts," Jesse said. "If you find it early enough, it can really help you avoid chemo, which is obviously something you're going to want to avoid so I think that's the message: just go to the doctor. I think people stop going at a certain point and think I'm healthy and young and it just falls by the waste side, but you have to go get a physical, get your blood work, and make sure everything is good in there."