Better Call Saul’s Russell Andrews Reveals ALS Diagnosis

Russell Andrews is living with ALS. The 64-year-old actor — a familiar face from Better Call Saul, Straight Outta Compton, and a celebrated career in August Wilson’s theater work — made the announcement publicly on Saturday, May 16, sitting beside his fiancée, actress Erica Tazel, during an emotional appearance on CNN’s The Story Is with Elex Michaelson.

“I am a person living with ALS,” Andrews told anchor Elex Michaelson. “I was diagnosed in the late fall of last year. It’s been humbling.”

The diagnosis, confirmed in autumn 2025, was the end of a long and disorienting road. ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that destroys nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to muscle weakness, slurred speech, and eventual paralysis. There is no cure.

Years of Symptoms, and a Pandemic That Complicated Everything

Looking back, Andrews believes the earliest warning signs surfaced during the COVID-19 pandemic — though at the time, he had no idea what he was dealing with. “I thought I had a stroke during COVID,” he said. “It was a stressful time.”

The timing made everything harder to parse. Between the industry-wide production shutdown and the historic 2023 SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes, Andrews said he was largely out of work for roughly three years. “We didn’t work for three years, about, and then we had the back-to-back strikes and so a lot was going on,” he said.

By 2023, the physical changes were becoming harder to ignore. He started experiencing occasional muscle twitches and attributed them to pinched nerves in his neck. Then came the moments that stopped him short — cups and glasses slipping from his hands at night, strange sensations traveling up and down his arm. “I was not able to do things that I normally do,” he recalled. “It felt like things were running up and down my arm at different times and it was the nerves.”

Tazel noticed things from the outside that Andrews himself was still explaining away. She watched him take longer than usual to clean the pool. She saw subtle shifts in the way he walked. “There was just the subtle little things like that and I had questions,” the Justified actress said. “I was like, ‘Something is definitely wrong.’”

Andrews had lost his health insurance during the work stoppage, and it wasn’t until coverage was restored that he could finally see a doctor. The appointment moved fast. “Within 15 minutes, the primary care [physician] said she would like me to see a neurologist,” he remembered. “One thing led to another.”

“I Still Want to Be Your Wife”

When the diagnosis came, Tazel’s response was immediate and unwavering. She described feeling an unexpected calm when Andrews first shared the news — not relief, exactly, but clarity after months of unanswered questions.

“When he shared the news with me, again, there was not a sigh of relief, but some understanding of what was happening,” she said. “And I looked at him across the room and I said, ‘At least now we know what it is, and I still want to be your wife.’”

Tazel, 49, has stepped into the role of Andrews’ caretaker, and she said the experience has reshaped how she understands love. “There are cases” where it “is truly unconditional,” she told CNN — and walking through this with Andrews has shown her that firsthand.

The couple has not announced a wedding date.

Going Public During ALS Awareness Month

The timing of Andrews’ announcement is deliberate. May is ALS Awareness Month, and he has formally partnered with the nonprofit ALS Network to raise visibility around the disease. His fiancée Tazel and his daughter Anya will be part of that effort alongside him, sharing their family’s journey and helping connect others to resources and support.

For Andrews, the community he found through the ALS Network has been one of the most unexpected parts of this chapter. “I walked into a family of very caring people I did not know a year ago — the cliché family,” he said, “but they have not let us miss a step in terms of care, the attention, the awareness and the ability to get me here today.”

“Receiving this diagnosis changed my life,” Andrews said in a statement. “What I didn’t expect was the depth of connection and support that comes with it. There’s a community here that shows up in ways that matter.”

Sheri Strahl, president and CEO of the ALS Network, welcomed the family’s partnership. “The ALS Network is built around one simple truth, that no one should face ALS alone,” she said. “Russell, Erica, and Anya’s willingness to share their journey brings visibility to the realities of this disease and the strength of the community behind it.”

Beyond his screen work, Andrews is a deeply respected stage actor with a long association with August Wilson’s plays — earning a Laurence Olivier Award for his role as Youngblood in Jitney at London’s Royal National Theater, and originating roles in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and King Hedley II. He is also the founding member of StageWalkers Productions, with additional television credits including Insecure, Grey’s Anatomy, and NCIS: New Orleans.

Andrews’ announcement comes months after the death of fellow actor Eric Dane, who passed away in February at 53 following his own battle with ALS. Dane’s family said he “became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight.”

Andrews, for his part, seems to be on the same path. “This moment is bigger than me,” he said. “It’s about making sure people feel supported, and making sure we keep moving forward.”