Veteran sports journalist and longtime Around the Horn panelist Woody Paige has revealed some alarming health news.

Paige’s announcement came just as ESPN prepares to end the iconic sports debate show after 23 years on the air.

Woodie Paige humor still shines through

The 78-year-old columnist disclosed that he had been battling melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer.

Fortunately, Paige has been declared cancer-free, though he now bears a six-inch scar on his face, which he covers with a beard.

“If anyone is trying to make me feel bad about Around the Horn going off the air,” Paige told Westword’s Michael Roberts, “I heard a week before the announcement that I was cancer-free.”

Paige’s announcement comes as Around the Horn nears its final episode on May 23. ESPN’s Executive Vice President David Roberts praised the show’s legacy, calling its two-decade run “incredibly rare” and promising a celebration of its impact before its farewell.

Since its inception, Around the Horn has become a staple of sports journalism, known for its competitive debate format and humorous banter.

Paige, a longtime columnist for The Denver Post, has been one of the show’s most recognizable personalities.

Reflecting on the program’s early days, Paige recalled an ESPN executive’s blunt assessment of its audience:

“At one point, I said, ‘Who’s gonna watch the show?’ And they said, ‘Drunks and college kids.’ Basically, the 18 to 34 (demographic), we were number one in cable television.”

The show also developed a cult following, with some fans even creating drinking games around Paige’s frequent “mutes.”

“I started getting emails saying you need to be muted less because we have a Woody Paige drinking game,” he shared.

“And every time you get muted, we do shots, and by 6 o’clock at night, we’re all drunk.”

Despite his health scare, Paige remains as sharp as ever, even taking a playful jab at Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert while discussing his recovery.

“Actually, I’m the second-luckiest person in Colorado. The luckiest person in Colorado is Lauren Boebert,” he joked.

“I think if you’re caught giving someone a hand job at Beetlejuice and you get kicked out of the DCPA, and you didn’t graduate from high school, but you’re still in Congress, that’s lucky.”

Over the years, Paige’s blackboard one-liners became a signature element of Around the Horn.

While many assumed he wrote them himself, he revealed that his associate, Natasha, was responsible for the messages due to his messy handwriting.

“When I die, my tombstone will be a blackboard, and on the blackboard, it will say, ‘I told you I was sick,'” he quipped.

As ESPN prepares to close the curtain on Around the Horn, Paige’s legacy as one of sports television’s most colorful and enduring voices remains intact.