Amanda Peet, 54, reveals private breast cancer battle while both her parents were in hospice care

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I was so shocked to hear that Amanda Peet was diagnosed with breast cancer last fall. She had a regular check-up, a routine scan, and that’s when they noticed something wasn’t right. It just goes to show how important those screenings are.

In a New Yorker essay published on Saturday, 54-year-old actress Diane Keaton, known for the film Something’s Gotta Give, shared a detailed account of her journey from receiving a diagnosis to undergoing treatment.

Peet explained that for years, doctors have described her breasts as ‘dense’ and ‘busy,’ not as a positive trait, but as a sign that they need to be checked more carefully.

I was going to the breast surgeon for checkups twice a year. One Friday before Labor Day, I went in for what I expected to be a standard scan.

She explained that her doctor noticed something concerning during the ultrasound and recommended a biopsy to investigate further.

After Olivia Munn, Peet’s co-star on “Your Friends & Neighbors,” shared her breast cancer diagnosis in 2024, Peet had a feeling something was wrong with her own health, based on what her doctor said next.

Honestly, when I heard her say she was personally taking the sample all the way to Cedars-Sinai, hand-delivering it to Pathology herself… that was it. That’s when everything clicked, and I just knew. It sounds crazy, but that little detail? It sealed the deal for me. I’ve been following her for years, and that level of dedication… it’s just her.

The doctor told her the next day that the tumor seemed small, but they would need an MRI after the holiday weekend to find out how much disease was present.

In the meantime, Peet was facing another heartache as both of her parents were in hospice care.

The actress, currently appearing in the Apple TV+ show Your Friends & Neighbors, has a sister named Alisa Peet, who works as a doctor.

‘Our parents, long divorced, were both in hospice, on opposite coasts,’ Peet recalled.

Losing a parent is never easy, and our family experienced a particularly unexpected loss. My mother had been ill for a while, starting back in June, but my father was only a week into his own health battle. Honestly, we all thought Mom would go first. I immediately booked a flight to New York, hoping to reach him in time, but I arrived just after he passed. While I didn’t get to say goodbye while he was still with us, I was grateful for the chance to be with him one last time and say a quiet farewell before they took him from his apartment. It’s those final moments, however brief, that stay with you.

After returning to Los Angeles to care for her mother, Peet received a diagnosis of Stage 1 breast cancer. This type of cancer is hormone-receptor-positive (HR+), HER2-negative, and considered an early-stage tumor.

Peet, who is married to David Benioff and has three children – Frances (19), Molly Jane (15), and Henry (11) – said she actually felt happier after learning her diagnosis than she had before, when she was simply living a normal life without cancer. However, that feeling didn’t last. After about ten minutes, she remembered she still needed an MRI and quickly became terrified again.

My doctor, Dr. K., said the radiologist would examine my lymph nodes and also check the left side of my body for anything unexpected, and would call me with the results within a week. I was starting to realize that getting a cancer diagnosis isn’t a quick process – it unfolds gradually.

Doctors found another lump in Peet’s breast, but thankfully it wasn’t cancerous. She’ll need a lumpectomy and radiation treatment, but won’t require chemotherapy or a full mastectomy.

Peet kept her diagnosis and the news of her father’s passing a secret from her mother, who was already suffering from advanced Parkinson’s disease.

She was prescribed medication to manage her anxiety, but it wasn’t effective. She explained that she took small doses of Ativan throughout the day, however, her blood pressure was so high the medication didn’t seem to have any effect.

Peet recalled that it took a long time for the morphine to provide relief, and her mother was in pain, looking at the ceiling and quietly crying. To be closer to her, Peet climbed onto the hospital bed with her during those final moments.

Our eyes met, and she fell silent. We continued to look at each other for a long moment.

Peet remembered the improv class his daughter had signed him up for after they returned to New York from London. He realized that in improv, you have to accept whatever situation you’re given, no matter how illogical, and work with it alongside your partner.

I couldn’t tell if my mom recognized me, or if she just saw a strange, shapeless figure. I greeted her with ‘howdy doodle,’ like I usually did. But I quickly understood she wasn’t communicating with words, so I joined her in silence. We didn’t have much time left, and I’d already told her everything I needed to.

Earlier in 2024, actress Olivia Munn, who appeared with Peet in ‘Your Friends & Neighbors,’ shared that she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer called luminal B. She underwent five surgeries to treat it, including a double mastectomy and a hysterectomy.

In October 2024, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Munn publicly showed her mastectomy scars in a SKIMS advertisement. She is currently in remission and considers herself cancer-free, and her decision was a courageous act of sharing her experience.

In an interview with Today, Munn explained that the campaign wasn’t originally focused on her scars, but she decided to highlight them, changing its direction.

She explained that when Skims asked her to be part of the campaign, the initial plan only included featuring their shapewear and leggings – her scar wasn’t a consideration at all.

Meanwhile, Peet’s BFF, Sarah Paulson, has commended the star for her ‘gorgeous essay.’

Paulson shared on Instagram that her friend, actress Amanda Peet, wrote a beautiful and moving essay about losing both of her parents, all while battling breast cancer.

I’m thrilled to share that my work was published in The New Yorker today! I really hope you’ll find the time to read it.

I finished recording the audio while you were out and about – you can listen to my attempt at the piece when you have a moment. Also, my friend is now a writer for The New Yorker, which is amazing! Sending you lots of love.

Other celebrities flocked to the comments section to echo that sentiment.

‘Going to read now!!’ Naomi Watts wrote.

Rose Byrne shared that she had already read the essay that morning and thought Peet’s story was amazing.

Ali Wentworth praised the writing, saying it resonated with her deeply. She also asked that Amanda receive a warm hug from her.

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2026-03-22 02:53