He is always been the man behind the smiles, but this time, Ryan could not hold back the tears!

The moment occurred during what was supposed to be a celebratory segment. Ryan and his co-hosts were congratulating their beloved long-time producer, Dennis Clark, on the incredible news that he was officially in remission. The studio was filled with the kind of joy and relief that only comes after a long battle with illness. But as the applause died down, a heavy silence settled over Ryan. It was a silence that carried the weight of a secret he had been holding close to his chest for years.

“I haven’t shared this on the air because it has been very private for me and my family,” Ryan began, his voice uncharacteristically thick with emotion. “It was something that was extremely hard to see with my father.”

For the first time, the 50-year-old media mogul opened up about his father’s harrowing journey with prostate cancer. Ryan, who has always spoken about his “very close relationship” with his dad, described the agonizing reality of watching a man who served as his hero and anchor grapple with a relentless disease.¹ His father, who is just days away from celebrating his 81st birthday, was diagnosed years ago. At first, there was hope. The initial rounds of treatment seemed to work, and for a while, the family allowed themselves to breathe again as his condition “got better.”