Just days away from starting proton therapy treatment, Grammy Award-winning R&B singer Montell Jordan and wife, Kristin, open up about facing the unimaginable: the recent return of Montell’s prostate cancer. They sat down with BlackDoctor.org to wrap up Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and share their deeply personal prostate cancer journey that is happening in real time. As Montell says, he is “in the mud” and “in the thick of it,” yet their journey remains one of faith, faith, advocacy — and hope.
Watch the full interview below view the Sustain the Movie trailer and donate, and get more information on Prostate Cancer at ZERO Prostate Cancer now.
As a prostate cancer survivor and ZERO Prostate Cancer (ZERO) Global Ambassador, Montell has emerged not only as a fighter, but as a beacon of hope for Black men — one in six of whom will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.
Montell first encountered prostate cancer after years of regular screenings. He was originally diagnosed in January 2024 and opted to have his prostate removed. After his radical prostatectomy, follow-up scans revealed residual cancer in Montell’s left lymph node and prostate bed. Now, he is preparing for proton therapy, a highly-targeted treatment that will span 37 sessions — five a week over seven and one-half weeks. Despite the intensity, Montell approaches it with courage, supported every step of the way by Kristin, their children, and prayer warriors.
“I’m just days away from weeks of treatments for returning prostate cancer… and I’m asking every woman to push the men in your life to get checked. Don’t wait.”
On a mission beyond music, Montell makes a plea for men — and to the women who love them — to get screened. The Jordans shed light on their self-funded documentary, Sustain the movie @sustainthemovie, the faith and family support that they have given each other and his upcoming appearance after his treatment. The iconic singer is laser focused on saving lives, shining a light on the urgent need for prostate cancer awareness, early screenings, and being a blue print for the men in the Black community on “how we do it” — since he never had one.
“I’m navigating it now. I’m in the mud right now and so this ain’t from the other side. This is from the thick of it saying: ‘Do what you need to do because your life matters to me as much as my own life.” — Montell Jordan
Montell says he understands the apprehension and admits he didn’t fully understand the disease or its risks. “Before being diagnosed [In January 2024], I did not know about prostate cancer. I didn’t care because it didn’t affect me… until it did,” he shares. Early detection through blood tests and PSA monitoring revealed a first-stage cancer, which was 99 percent treatable. This early diagnosis gave him options and a fighting chance — a reality he hopes to share with others.
Now, he is on a mission: to make sure men don’t wait until it’s too late. Urging women to “push or pull” the men in their lives.
“Men won’t do what they need to do unless they are pushed or pulled, lovingly,” Montell says to women directly in the interview interview with BlackDoctor.org. “Mothers, wives, sisters, aunties: encourage the men you love to get screened. This is about preserving your family legacy. One out of every eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and 70% of those will be African-American men. These numbers are staggering — and we have the power to change them.”
Montell and Kristin’s journey is one of family, faith, and vulnerability. When Montell received the devastating news, Kristin says that they kept the news to themselves for four months while deciding their next steps and how to tell their family members. They knew each generation required a different conversation and approach when telling older parents, adult children, teenagers and grandchildren about a diagnosis and treatment.
“I almost didn’t want anyone else to carry the cancer,” Montell recalls. “But I realized I don’t need anyone else to carry it — I need them to help carry me.”
Kristin revealed that as a woman of faith, she has surrounded him with love and hope. Kristin adds, “Every day of his treatments, we have people fasting and praying for him. This isn’t a solo fight. We are carrying it together, as a family, as a community, and through faith.”
Montell credits early detection while attending a routine physical exam for noticing elevate note.
“This journey isn’t easy,” Montell admits. “But early detection saved my life once, and it’s giving me a fighting chance again. And I’m using my voice, my influence, to save lives — not just my own, but those of the men I love and their families.”
Sustain the Movie: Documenting the Journey
Montell and Kristin are also in the midst of creating Sustain the Movie (sustainthemovie.com), a documentary chronicling Montell’s prostate cancer journey and its impact on the entire family in real-time. Filming began with Montell’s initial diagnosis in January 2024 and will continue through his extensive proton treatments, which begin on Oct. 7.
“There was no GPS for this journey,” Montell says. “We felt called [by God] to document [our journey] so that others can see the practical, human side of navigating prostate cancer — from explaining treatments to children, to the emotional highs and lows. This film is a resource for families, a lifeline for anyone facing this disease.”
In fact, the Jordans did not hold back on what they filmed and who they filmed. They shared private moments between them and also the parents, children and grandchild in the family. Currently, Montell and Kristin are self-funding the film. However, the couple is actively looking for partners, investors and donors to help so the crooner can focus on his rest and healing when his treatments get underway.
“I know I can do hard things, but I can’t do hard things alone,” Montell said. “Part of the ‘Sustainthemovie.com’ … has been a heavy lift that been that it has felt like we’re doing it alone. …This is part the world does not know: that from diagnosis [and] all of 2024 and most of 2025 I still go out, I still tour, I still perform, I still do shows, and speaking engagements and I’m doing that to finance the film about cancer. So, I have cancer and I’m going out to get money to finance a film talking about how I’m defeating the cancer at the same time.”
The website, sustainthemovie.com, offers the intimate, touching entire 13 minute trailer, and provide intimate moments in hopes of grabbing viewers, but potential donors, more importantly.
“There are places that are able to give. We know that there are pharmaceutical companies, there are facilities, there are very generous people, there are folks that can stroke a check and help us get this thing done and get Montell off the road,” he said. “That’s my goal, that somebody would see this and want to either generously donate or partner or to figure out in some way to have other people come alongside of us to help us get this story told. I would rather be focused more on my healing than focus on filming.”
A Call to Action
Speaking life over his treatments, Montell is already looking to the future. He is planning a 30-city tour to mark the 30th anniversary of his hit song, “This is How We Do It” and 30th anniversary of ZERO Prostate Cancer in 2026. More than a show, he plans to hold documentary screenings, plus offering on-site life-saving prostate PSA (blood test finger-prick) screenings along the way. The goal is to change the trajectory of prostate cancer in Black communities, turning fear into awareness, and awareness into action. At a recent ZERO kickoff event, he performed a survivor’s anthem version entitled, “This is How We Cure It!”
“Zero Prostate Cancer is looking at helping 100,000 men over the next 10 years by 2035… I believe we can do more than that. I think we can do 100,000 in the next year if we’re out and we’re screening and we’re touring and we’re hitting those cities and doing what we need to do.”
Montell’s message is urgent: Get screened. Don’t wait. Save your life. Save your family.
“Men, early detection saved my life. Continued screenings are currently saving my life. I am mandating that you schedule a blood test. Find a doctor you trust. Do this for yourself, for your wife, your sons, your daughters, your brothers, your sisters, your parents. Generational health is the new generational wealth. Leave a legacy worth living.”
Watch Montell Jordan’s Live Performance of ‘This Is How We Cure It’ at ZERO’s Blitz the Barrier ATL!
