Friends star Lauren Tom announces daughter, 25, has been diagnosed with rare cancer

| Assistant Entertainment Editor Published July 21, 2026 12:33pm Updated July 21, 2026 1:00pm Friends star Lauren Tom has announced her daughter has been diagnosed with rare cancer (Picture: Instagram/@laurentom9000) Lauren Tom has shared the heartbreaking news that her 25-year-old daughter, Ellie, has been diagnosed with bone cancer. The 64-year-old actress, best known for playing Julie in Friends as well as starring in The Joy Luck Club, revealed the devastating diagnosis in an emotional Instagram post as she asked fans to keep her daughter in their thoughts. ‘I wanted to share some tough news today,’ Lauren began alongside a carousel of photos of Ellie. ‘This is my beautiful daughter, Ellie. She is currently battling osteosarcoma (bone cancer) and my family and I are doing everything we can to aid in her healing.’ Osteosarcoma is a rare type of bone cancer that most commonly develops in the arms or legs. Treatment typically involves chemotherapy and surgery, and can sometimes require amputation depending on how advanced the disease is. While Lauren did not discuss Ellie’s prognosis, she acknowledged the road ahead would be a long one for the family. ‘We have a long journey ahead of us,’ she wrote. Fox played Julie in Friends, one of Ross’ girlfriends in the series (Picture: NBC) The actress starred in seven episodes of the iconic series (Picture: NBC) Despite the difficult circumstances, the actress said she has found comfort in the support already surrounding her family, sharing a quote from beloved children’s television presenter Fred Rogers. ‘I am reminded of the Fred Rogers quote, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'”‘ Lauren went on to thank friends, relatives and the medical team caring for Ellie. ‘I’d like to thank our friends and family, and the incredible doctors and nurses at Cedars-Sinai for their ongoing boundless support, love, and care,’ she wrote. ‘It is truly humbling to see how willing people are to reach out and help.’ She shared several photos of her daughter on social media (picture: @laurentom9000) Lauren described her daughter as ‘beautiful inside and out’ (Picture: @laurentom9000) She also appealed directly to her followers, asking them to keep Ellie in their prayers and leave encouraging messages on social media. Describing her daughter, Lauren wrote: ‘Ellie is an amazing, deep, sensitive, wise, strong, brave, intelligent, and funny soul. Beautiful inside and out.’ The actress also left the first comment on Ellie’s own Instagram page, writing: ‘You are strong, brave and will recover from this completely to live a beautiful, meaningful life. You are so loved, Ellie, by everyone who knows you.’ Lauren is known to millions for her memorable role as Ross Geller’s girlfriend Julie in Friends, who briefly dated David Schwimmer’s character before he reunited with Rachel Green. She also starred in the acclaimed 1993 film The Joy Luck Club and has has a prolific career across television, film, and voice acting. Deals of the Day Wuka launches the UK’s first period-proof swimwear for heavy flows Bridgerton fans are rushing to buy these new Netflix-inspired perfumes now £12 off The affordable summer wardrobe update you'll wear from rooftop drinks to beach holidays The £7.99 lip balm beauty fans love for glossy, hydrated lips just dropped four new shades This Keskine hydrogel mask could fix your summer skin Since sharing the news, fans have flooded Lauren’s post with messages of love and support, wishing Ellie strength as she begins treatment. Arrow MORE: Avengers Doomsday trailer ‘drives Marvel fans insane’ over Robert Downey Jr’s voice Arrow MORE: Christopher Nolan’s most underrated movie is much better than Inception Arrow MORE: Matt Damon shares one ‘non-negotiable’ rule he and his wife have never broken TV Newsletter Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning.