Jackie Tohn says a BRCA1 mutation led to an 85% breast cancer risk estimate, prompting a preventive double mastectomy in December 2025 after her father’s metastatic male breast cancer diagnosis and later findings of precancerous cells in her tissue.
When Jackie Tohn learned her genetic risk for breast cancer. it didn’t arrive as a vague worry—it came with numbers. counseling sessions. and MRI results that surfaced at the worst possible times.. The “Nobody Wants This” star now says she carries a BRCA1 mutation and went ahead with a preventive double mastectomy this past December.
Tohn. who shared the details exclusively on the TODAY show on May 15. described how she spent much of the experience compartmentalizing. even as health information kept slipping into her most visible moments—like learning her breast MRI results were inconclusive while heading to the Creative Arts Emmys.
Behind that pressure was a family turning point. Tohn said that in January of 2025, her father found lumps under his arm. Doctors determined they were metastatic carcinomas, and because they couldn’t locate the primary cancer, they ordered a panel of hereditary genetic testing.
The results came back: her father was BRCA1 positive, and Tohn said he had been diagnosed with male breast cancer.
After her father’s test, Tohn underwent genetic testing as well. She learned she carries a BRCA1 mutation and met with a genetic counselor, where she said she was told that, because of her BRCA1 status, “it turned out that I had an 85% chance of getting breast cancer.”
Tohn’s account puts a spotlight on what decisions follow when a genetic finding replaces uncertainty. She said that when she first learned of her BRCA1 mutation, she wasn’t sure what her options were—calling it “like someone giving you a single nail and being like, build the house, there’s a field.”
She initially thought about advanced surveillance, which she said could include an annual breast MRI alongside a mammogram. But the 85% estimate weighed on her.
“That was when I said, OK, put on my big girl pants, and I’m just doing this,” Tohn told TODAY.
She described assembling a medical team and then moving forward quickly. On Dec. 1, 2025, she underwent a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction.
The tissue analysis after surgery added another layer of urgency to the choice she made.. Tohn said the removed breast tissue contained “multiple pre-cancerous. concerning cells in both breasts.” When her doctor called with the results. she recalled it as an intensely emotional moment—“in a wonderful way. she was almost shrieking with joy.”
Now she is sharing her story with a clear purpose: to push people to understand their own risk and to ask whether genetic testing could be relevant to them.
Tohn said the family factors that should raise questions are “rare. young and multiple cancers.” She explained that if a family includes a rare cancer—like her father’s male breast cancer—or cancers diagnosed at a young age. a person may have an elevated risk that’s worth discussing with a doctor.. The same applies when multiple people in a family have cancer.
She also pointed to what people can do before symptoms ever appear.. Tohn referenced experts who say that at age 25. someone should take a breast cancer risk assessment to understand whether they face heightened risk. with tools that can consider factors beyond family history—such as the age at which someone had their first period and when they had their first child.
Tohn emphasized that genetic risk is not always obvious.. “The vast majority of breast cancer patients don’t have a family history. ” she said. and only about 5-10% are linked to a known genetic risk factor. citing the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.. She added that risk linked to genetic factors can be higher for younger patients. with rates estimated up to 25% for women diagnosed under age 30.
Even people without a mutation, she said, are not automatically safe. Regular screening remains an important tool, especially because risk can exist without a clear family pattern.
For Tohn, the last few years have been both a professional high and a private health reckoning. The message she brought from that journey is direct: understanding genetic risk—before it becomes a crisis—can change what comes next.
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