Throughout Survivor’s history, Jeff Probst’s beloved reality show has featured several legendary players who are considered the best ever. For example, even new fans who are still figuring out which seasons to watch first will likely recognize the name “Boston” Rob Mariano. On top of that, you don’t have to know who the first player to be medically evacuated was or that some former players have refused to return, to know who Rupert Boneham is.

After competing in some of the best seasons that featured respected winners, Rupert became the most popular Survivor player ever. For that reason, it is marvelous that Rupert exclusively told TheThings about what he is doing now and about the state of his health following his past cancer scare.

Rupert Boneham Is Making The World A Better Place Thanks To Rupert’s Kids

In July 2025, TheThings journalist Matthew Thomas exclusively interviewed Rupert Boneham. During that conversation, Rupert spoke about how the charitable organization he dedicates his life to, Rupert’s Kids, started.

“We’ve been around since the early-nineties. I incorporated Kids Hope, Kids Helping Other People Exist in 1991. We started a program just working with juveniles for the first twelve years, teaching kids that were not making it in education. Our wonderful education system was creating a pathway to the detention center as if for any children that were not good in the classroom.

We created a work program where, instead of putting them in juvie, we gave them the chance to go to work. Every child we ever got our hands on, especially the 12-year-olds. There’s every 12-year-old that we ever got was back in some kind of school or training by the time they were 15. All of our children that we ever dealt with really just wanted that ability to show they were okay.”

After Rupert rose to fame thanks to Survivor, somebody decided to register the domains related to the original name of his charity. While speaking exclusively to TheThings, Rupert explained that situation inspired the idea to change the name of the charity to Rupert’s Kids. The organization has retained that name ever since, even as its focus has changed. “When I came back [from Survivor], some wonderful person out there had bought rupertbonum.com, kidshope.com, and kidshelpingotherpeopleexists.com and .org. We dissolved Kids Hope and incorporated Rupert’s Kids. With our board of directors, we decided to call it Rupert’s Kids, not realizing that we weren’t going to continue just dealing with juveniles.”

During his TheThings interview, Rupert explained that after incorporating his charity, he learned that his help was needed elsewhere. While communicating with the government, Rupert learned that young adults needed help, and the decision was made that Rupert’s Kids could serve that purpose.

“When I gave up my nonprofit status and reapplied as Rupert’s kids, the feds actually called me up within months. They called me up and asked me, ‘Is this really Rupert from Survivor?’ [And I responded] ‘Like, oh my gosh. Is this really the people that could give me my [tax status] back?’

After we got through the niceties, they told me, ‘Rupert, there are so many programs for juveniles. There are so few programs for that emancipated 16, 17-year-old till 27, 28-years-old. There is no real transition programs out there. If you would age your group up to deal with that category, we’ll give you your nonprofit status back right now.’ I pulled my mission statement and my application. I changed juvenile to youth.

Now we deal with adults. We still call it Rupert’s Kids because, you know, sometimes even that 30 year old that is making pitiful choices, and especially now at 61 years old, I can call a 30-year-old a kid.”

After explaining who Rupert’s Kids helps, Rupert elaborated on how the organization helps people turn their lives around. “We teach young men how to make that legal living, how to have that sense of self-worth and work ethic. We have our little slogan, ‘You don’t have to be an angel. You just gotta stop being an a**.’ You gotta stop being that horse’s butt. You gotta stop hurting yourself and others, you gotta start giving back to yourself and others and turn yourself back into a giver, not a taker.'”

While talking to TheThings, Rupert explained that Rupert’s Kids runs a 12-bed facility to help young men that they are working to expand to a 16-bed facility soon. Furthermore, Rupert elaborated on how many people Rupert’s Kids is able to help while not taking any money from the government.

“We’ve got 12 lives living under our roof. We’ve got seven different families of graduates that we’re dealing with in our outreach. We’ve got multiple guys coming back in the aftercare program. You know, it’s a pretty good little group we’ve created with not being beholden to any government dollars, any dollars that tell us how we have to do our program so we can create individual program for every person that walks in our door.”

When Rupert was asked about how rewarding his work is, he spoke with great passion while talking about how his efforts have helped people. “It’s been amazing to have some of the men and women that we’ve dealt with over the years come back and, you know, show off their new car, their new job, their new family, their new ID, their new suit, their new life. Yeah. Show up. Show what they’re doing and credit us for doing it for them. It’s amazing. Amazing.”

Rupert Boneham Gave An Update On His Health Following Battling Cancer

In December 2024, Rupert Boneham spoke to CBS4 Indy about battling throat cancer on his vocal cords and fearing that he could lose his voice. Thankfully, Rupert told the outlet at the time that two successful surgeries helped him to regain his health. While talking to TheThings in July 2025, Rupert revealed the fantastic news that he remains cancer-free while keeping a close eye on his health.

“I go in every six months and have my throat scoped. I go in and have my lungs x-ray and they do the MRI every year. We’ve got a few spots that we keep track of. But, I am comfortable in saying right now I am cancer-free.”

Rupert also told TheThings about how lucky he feels to have been diagnosed with cancer at a time when there were better treatments.

“I am very lucky that I had verrucous cell throat cancer that I’ve had operated on. But, you know, if this would have been ten years ago, fifteen years ago, I’d be that guy with the hole in my neck. I mean, my gosh, the ability now for the doctors to cut with a laser at a cellular level.”

Given how much Rupert adores his wife and daughter and the fact that he helps so many people, the world is also lucky he was able to get fantastic help to battle his cancer.