NewsAwareness
Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney, and the Colonoscopies That Started With a Bet
The Wrexham co-owners filmed their colonoscopies for the Lead From Behind campaign — and both had polyps removed. Here is why that punchline is actually the point of screening.
A plain-language summary based on public reporting and trusted sources, linked below.
Please note: this page is educational only — it is not medical advice, and it does not speculate about anyone’s health beyond reliable public reporting. For questions about your own health, talk with your healthcare team.
The bet, and what came of it
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney co-own Wrexham AFC, a Welsh football club. In 2021 they made a wager. If McElhenney learned to speak Welsh, Reynolds would have a colonoscopy on camera.
McElhenney learned Welsh. Both men turned 45 in 2022. That is the age at which screening for this cancer now starts. So both filmed their tests. The videos went out through Lead From Behind, a campaign run with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.
The comedy stopped being the point in recovery. CNN reported that Reynolds' doctor found a small polyp on the right side of his colon. The doctor called it "extremely subtle." A polyp is a growth on the lining of the bowel. McElhenney's gut specialist found three very small ones and took them out.
Two people who felt entirely well walked in for a joke. Both walked out with growths removed. That is what screening is for. So the rest of this page is about the test, not the fame.
Why a polyp matters more than it sounds
Most colorectal cancers begin as a polyp. Polyps grow slowly, often over years, and usually cause no symptoms at all. Some never become cancer. Some do.
This is the unusual thing about colonoscopy. Most screening tests find cancer earlier. Colonoscopy can find the growth that would have become cancer and remove it in the same sitting. NCI puts this plainly: finding and removing polyps can prevent colorectal cancer.
That is why the campaign called colon cancer preventable. It is not a claim anyone makes about most other cancers.
The tests, and how often
NCI lists five screening approaches: fecal occult blood testing, sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, virtual colonoscopy, and DNA stool tests. NCI also notes that digital rectal exam has been studied as a screen and does not reduce deaths from the disease.
The US Preventive Services Task Force sets the intervals:
- FIT, a stool test for hidden blood, every year
- Stool DNA plus FIT, every 1 to 3 years
- Colonoscopy, every 10 years
- CT colonography, also called virtual colonoscopy, every 5 years
Each has trade-offs. Stool tests need no bowel prep, no sedation, and no trip to a clinic. But they must be done reliably, year after year. And an abnormal result means a colonoscopy anyway. Colonoscopy is needed least often, and it treats what it finds. It also requires bowel prep, sedation, and a ride home. Its harms include bleeding and a tear in the bowel wall. Both rise with age.
The practical version: the best test is the one a person will actually complete. Our page on colorectal cancer screening sets the options side by side.
Who should be screened, and when
USPSTF recommends screening all adults aged 50 to 75, a grade A recommendation. For adults aged 45 to 49 it is a grade B recommendation. Both apply to people with no symptoms and average risk.
For adults 76 to 85, the advice is a grade C. Doctors should offer screening selectively here. They weigh overall health, past screening, and what the person wants.
Average risk means no past colorectal cancer and no past adenomatous polyps. It also means none of the higher-risk conditions. A family history, inflammatory bowel disease, or an inherited syndrome changes the schedule. Screening then usually starts earlier. That is a conversation for a doctor.
When symptoms change the plan
Screening is for people without symptoms. Symptoms mean a workup instead. Waiting for a screening date is the wrong move. NCI lists these signs of colon cancer. Any of them is worth a doctor's visit:
- Blood in the stool, either bright red or very dark
- A change in bowel habits
- Diarrhea or constipation
- A feeling that the bowel does not empty completely
- Stools that are narrower or a different shape than usual
- General abdominal discomfort, including frequent gas pains, bloating, fullness, or cramps
- Weight loss for no known reason
- Fatigue
- Vomiting
Rectal bleeding in an adult should not be written off as hemorrhoids. It needs to be looked at. Our page on colorectal cancer symptoms goes into what each sign can mean.
What the numbers say about catching it early
The American Cancer Society puts the 2026 total at 158,850 new colorectal cancers in the United States and 55,230 deaths. That is a projection the Society makes and SEER republishes. Survival is a SEER measurement: 65.4 percent at five years across all stages for cases from 2016 to 2022.
Stage drives that figure hard. It is 91.3 percent when the cancer is still confined to the bowel wall, 75.2 percent once it has reached nearby lymph nodes, and 16.9 percent once it has spread to distant organs.
About 34 percent are found at that first stage. Twenty-three percent are already distant. Those proportions are what screening is trying to change.
These are group figures. They pool tens of thousands of people of different ages and health. Each was treated in a different year with different drugs. They cannot describe any one person.
What this does not mean
Finding a polyp is not finding cancer. Polyps are common, and most removed at screening would never have caused harm. The removal is a precaution, not a diagnosis.
A promotional video is also not a care plan. Two men had one kind of test at one age, on camera. The right test and the right starting age for any particular person depend on family history, personal history, and other conditions.
Nor does one clear colonoscopy end the matter. Screening is a schedule, not an event, and symptoms in between still need attention.
Sources
- CNN, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney get a colonoscopy on camera to raise awareness — https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/14/entertainment/ryan-reynolds-rob-mcelhenney-colonoscopy-video-wellness/index.html
- Colorectal Cancer Alliance, Reynolds and McElhenney share their colonoscopy videos — https://colorectalcancer.org/article/ryan-reynolds-and-rob-mcelhenney-share-their-colonoscopy-videos-encourage-people-lead
- NCI PDQ, Colorectal Cancer Screening (Patient Version) — https://www.cancer.gov/types/colorectal/patient/colorectal-screening-pdq
- NCI PDQ, Colon Cancer Treatment (Patient Version) — https://www.cancer.gov/types/colorectal/patient/colon-treatment-pdq
- USPSTF, Colorectal Cancer: Screening — https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/colorectal-cancer-screening
- SEER Cancer Stat Facts, Colorectal Cancer — https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/colorect.html
How this article was prepared
An AI-assisted editorial system helped prepare this page. No named medical reviewer has reviewed it unless one is listed.
The National Cancer Information Foundation publishes Cancer Explained. This page is for learning. It is not medical advice and does not suggest a test or treatment.
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Put the story in context
Prevention, possible warning signs, screening, and diagnosis
This story relates to Colorectal cancer. The information below is general: it does not reveal anything else about a public person’s health, and not every point applies to every cancer. Personal advice depends on age, symptoms, family history, exposures, and medical history.
Prevention and risk reduction
Not every cancer can be prevented. Avoiding tobacco, protecting skin from ultraviolet radiation, limiting alcohol, staying active, and receiving recommended HPV or hepatitis B vaccination can lower the risk of certain cancers. A risk factor is not a prediction or a cause in one individual.
Symptoms and possible early signs
Possible signs vary and are often caused by conditions other than cancer. Changes worth discussing include a new lump, unexplained bleeding or weight loss, a persistent cough, lasting bowel or bladder changes, a changing skin spot, or symptoms that persist or worsen. Some early cancers cause no symptoms.
Screening and early detection
Screening looks for certain cancers before symptoms begin. Recommended tests exist only for some cancers and depend on age and risk. Screening can have benefits and harms; it is not the same as evaluating a new symptom, and there is no single routine scan or blood test that reliably screens for every cancer.
How cancer is diagnosed
Diagnosis may involve a history and exam, imaging, laboratory tests, and often a biopsy. Pathology can identify the cancer type and may test biomarkers that guide treatment. Symptoms, screening results, tumor markers, or online stories alone cannot confirm cancer.
Learn about this story’s cancer topic
A public story may encourage questions, but it should not be used to estimate your risk or choose testing. Contact a healthcare professional about a persistent or concerning change. Seek urgent care for severe or rapidly worsening symptoms.