Celebrities, although they might seem unreal, are indeed human and can sustain serious injuries that make the news and, in some cases, have an impact on their careers. However, most cases of celebrity bodily harm are nothing to be worried about, even if the injury gets outsized attention. We’ve all taken a little spill or fallen victim to a vegetable peeler at home, but no one seems to make much of a fuss over that. For celebrities, they’re operating on a whole other level with filming commitments, busy schedules, and contractual obligations to meet. When your business is your image, a lot of pressure is put on you to look and feel 100% at every moment. For better or worse, we decided to take a look at some celebrities who’ve reportedly been harmed on- or off-set. It’s an exercise in humility because while we feel for these celebs, they’re just clumsy humans just like the rest of us. Here’s our list of celebrities who’ve been seriously injured.
Busy Philipps Burned Her Eyes
Actor and queen of Instagram Busy Philipps posted a sad photo on Instagram after she was taken to the hospital. Busy described the pain, writing, “I couldn’t sleep because it felt like there were shards of glass in both my eyes.” Sounds nice, right?
Busy got a diagnosis and wrote, “I have Photo Keratitis from bright lights/sun exposure!” All those flashing lights took a toll.
Joey King Thumped by Golden Globe
Actor Joey King sported a sizeable knot on her head after accidentally taking a beating from Patricia Arquette’s Golden Globe. She posted a picture of her injury on Instagram and wrote, “Not everyone can say Patricia Arquette accidentally hit them in the head with her Golden Globe. But I can.” We felt that.
Daniel Craig Sustained 007 Injuries
Bond actor Daniel Craig gets paid a ton of money to be in the James Bond Franchise as the world’s most iconic spy. But do they pay him enough? He’s been injured multiple times while filming. He lost two teeth filming a stunt for Casino Royale in 2006; sliced off his fingertip while filming 2008’s Quantum of Solace; and injured a knee filming a fight scene for 2015’s Spectre. Yikes! He likes things shaken, not stirred!
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Mariah Carey’s Shoulder Setback
Superstar Mariah Carey was injured on set while shooting a music video. She dislocated her shoulder while filming the video for a “Beautiful” remix. She posted a photo of herself, looking incredible, in the hospital. Along with the photo, she tweeted, “Dislocated my shoulder on the remix video with Jeezy, sporting a very fashionable sling for the next couple of weeks!” A sling, but make it fashion!
Carrie Underwood Broke Her Wrist and Face
Country singer Carrie Underwood took one heck of a spill while walking her dogs. She apparently missed a step on the way out the door and fell down. She not only broker her wrist, as you can see from the X-ray she shared, Carrie also cracked open her face and needed 40 stitches. Ouch!
Kevin Hart Wrecked His Back
Comedian and actor Kevin Hart purchased himself this muscle car for his 40th birthday. He named the car “Menace.” Kevin was a passenger in his 1970 Plymouth Barracuda that crashed in Los Angeles resulting in a serious back injury. He shared an emotional video about the crash and his recovery which required extensive physical therapy.
“Basically, what you realize is that you’re not in control,” Hart says as the video begins. “No matter how much you think you’re in control, you’re not in control. At the end of the day, it can all be over, man.”
Neil Patrick Harris Infected by Urchin
Actor Neil Patrick Harris had to take himself to the hospital two months after he fell on a sea creature in Croatia. He shared images from the hospital and subsequent surgery. He captioned the post, “I tripped and hand-planted onto a sea urchin almost two months ago while climbing rocky cliffs in Croatia. Most of the tiny spines I dug out myself, but two refused to leave and one got infected.”
NPH’s final takeaway: “All in all, though, I have to say: uni is still delicious.”
Savannah Guthrie Detached Her Retina
Journalist Savannah Guthrie lost vision in her right eye after her 2-year-old son tossed a toy at it. The kid’s got great aim and managed to detach Savannah’s retina from her eyeball. Ouch! After surgery to have the retina repaired, Savannah shared an image of her eye with the tear. And she reported, “[Retina is] smooth as butter and reattached like new like the day I was born! I’m so grateful to the careful doctors who operated on me and very hopeful about getting most of my vision back eventually!! Here’s to 20/20 in 2020!”
Susan Sarandon Slipped into 2020
Actor Susan Sarandon posted selfies of her face after she slipped and fell. She’s got a large welt on her forehead and a black eye from the accident. She captioned the photo, “A little slip = concussion, fractured nose, banged up knee.” But, Susan being Susan, took the opportunity (because there’s no better time to make an important announcement than after you’ve suffered a concussion) to endorse her preferred candidate for 2020.
Zac Hanson’s MMMBop! Bop!
The baby of the band Hanson, Zac Hanson got into a nasty motorcycle accident in Oklahoma. He shared a photo of himself in the hospital with his brother Isaac Hanson. He captioned the image on Instagram, “I was involved in a wreck on my motorcycle while preparing for an upcoming cross-country ride. Though I ended up with three broken ribs, a broken collarbone, and a cracked scapula, nothing is injured that won’t heal with a little rest and time, and a healthy dose of gaming!”
He continued his lengthy post, with a thank you, “Thankfully with good quality protective gear, I was able to walk away, even if very slowly with the help of Isaac, Taylor, and a few of Tulsa firefighters.”
Good of him to shot out the good men and women of the Tulsa Fire Department!
Christie Brinkley Danced Like Nobody Was Watching
Dancing with the Stars contestant and model Christie Brinkley took a nasty fall while she was in rehearsal for the dancing competition. Christie broke her arm and shared images of the damage on Instagram, in part, to silence detractors who said she was making the injury up. She captioned the post, “It goes against my better judgment to acknowledge haters and conspiracy theorists but because this involves my precious daughter I’m setting the record straight. It’s sad that we live in a time where the truth is not as scintillating as hurtful lies.”
Christie’s daughter Sailor Brinkley Cook ultimately took her mother’s place in the competition.
Wendy Williams Breaks the News
Daytime talk show host Wendy Williams announced on the December 18th, 2018 episode of The Wendy Williams Show that she’d fractured her shoulder. She said on air, “I have a hair fracture on my right shoulder. I did it on Sunday— by Monday morning my shoulder was on fire.”
The show went on hiatus temporarily for Wendy to heal. It’s odd that she was one of the conspiracy theorists about Christie Brinkley’s broken arm. After all, Wendy never explained how she got the fracture.
Ruby Rose Got a New Pez Dispenser
Orange Is the New Black actor Ruby Rose posted a graphic video of a surgery she had in 2019. The surgery was to repair two herniated discs that she got as a result of her stuntwork for Batwoman. She captioned the video, “To everyone asking about my new Pez dispenser scar on my neck… A couple of months ago I was told I needed an emergency surgery or I was risking becoming paralyzed… I had herniated two discs doing stunts, and they were close to severing my spinal chord.”
We would never compare a scar to a “Pez dispenser” but, you do you, Ruby!
John Cho’s Rodeo
Actor John Cho shared a selfie on Instagram after a horrendous leg injury on set for his new Netflix show, Cowboy Bebop. You can see he’s grimacing in the photo and he captioned the image, “On the mend! Thanks, everybody!” The injury was described as a “freak accident” and it occurred on set in New Zealand. The actor had to be flown back to Los Angeles for surgery and production for the show was stopped for an entire 7 months to give John time to recover.
Dean Unglert Skied into Trouble
Star of Bachelor in Paradise Dean Unglert posted a hospital selfie after he got into a horrible skiing accident in Switzerland. He captioned the photo, “All my life i’ve dreamt about skiing the swiss alps. how could you not? they’re huge and beautiful and have some of the best snow in the world,” Dean wrote on Instagram on Christmas Eve. “Today, however, was not my day. i was sending just a liiiiitle too hard and took a nasty spill which ultimately put me here [in the hospital]. and since this is probably going to be the only pic i get in switzerland, i figured i gotta post it.” [Spelling and grammatical mistakes are Unglert’s.]
It turns out Dean needed three screws and a plate in his leg after he dislocated his hip and fractured his femur. He later tweeted he will need 12 weeks to recover.
Be careful on the slopes, folks!
Ariana Grande Proves She’s a Dangerous Woman
Pop star Ariana Grande sustained a pretty gnarly injury to her right hand while filming a segment of Carpool Karaoke with James Corden.
“Well Mr. Corden, today is off to a wild start,” Ariana wrote in an Instagram story in which she showed off her hand bandaged with gauze. She captioned the image “Bleeding n smiling.”
She captioned another image, “Hahahahahaha I’m an idiot.”
“Bleeding n smiling.” Haunting.
Millie Bobby Brown’s First Break
Star of Stranger Things Millie Bobby Brown hit a “milestone” after breaking her first bone. The young actor shared a video bragging about her “first” and saying that she had “split her kneecap.” As a result, Millie had to miss going to the 2018 MTV Movie Awards. In 2017, she’d won the award for best actor in a show.
Who wants to hit the red carpet on crutches anyway?
Theo Campbell vs. Champagne
The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 contestant Theo Campbell suffered a devastating eye injury because of a freak accident involving champagne. Theo shared a photo of himself in the hospital and captioned the Instagram post, “Thanks for all the messages and support I’ve got over the last couple days they’re all very much appreciated!” he wrote. “So yeah basically 2 eye surgeries later after a really unfortunate accident, I’ve lost all vision in my right eye as it got split in half, who would have thought a champagne cork would be the end of me.. But I still have 1 eye left, looking at the bright side of things.”
His eye split in half because of a champagne cork. Will you ever be the same, dear reader?
Shawn Johnson and the 38-Week Scare
Olympian and Dancing with the Stars champ Shawn Johnson landed in the hospital at 38 weeks pregnant with a broken toe. She posted an image of herself in the hospital on Instagram. She captioned the post, “All is good, just adding a little more swag to my big mama waddle these days.”
She later added more updates after she read comments from concerned fans. She wrote to her Instagram story, “Guys, I’m great, I promise. I got some pretty coloring, my foot is a little bit bigger than usual, my big toe is a little bit longer than usual, but I’m good. It’s just a perfect excuse to chill out until baby comes.”
Johnathan Van Ness with a Twist
The most fab guy from Queer Eye Johnathan Van Ness showed up to the Big Little Lies season 2 premiere on crutches. He managed to hobble down the red carpet sans crutches but needed them to get around for the rest of the premier. He posted a photo to his Instagram and captioned it, “A sprained ankle will not keep me from seeing the @biglittlelies season 2 premiere especially not with this outfit.”
We all know that nothing will keep JVN from seeing Meryl Streep. Can you believe?
Brody Jenner Hovered Too Close to the Sun
Reality star of The Hills: New Beginnings Brody Jenner suffered horrific injuries after falling off of a one-wheel hoverboard. The star posted an X-ray of his elbow to his Instagram and captioned the image, “Feeling pretty lucky to live in 2019. If this was a few hundred years ago they might of just chopped the lower half of my arm off, filled it with leeches and sent me home. In all seriousness feeling very fortunate. Rehabilitation starts today!”
Moral of the story: two wheels are better than one.
Cameron Candace Bure’s Growing Pains
Full House star Cameron Candace Bure was in an unfortunate go-cart accident with her brother, actor Kirk Cameron that landed her in the emergency room in 2018. She shared a video from the ER where she says, “Our fun family day ended up with me in the emergency room. I got into a go-carting accident and my brother ran me over.”
We’ve all been there, mowed down by our sibling at the go-cart track. Luckily, Cameron’s x-ray proved it to be a mild injury and surgery wasn’t necessary.
Demi Lovato Makes a Pledge
Singer Demi Lovato tweeted a photo of her booted-up foot with the text, “This sucks.” Many reporters busied themselves trying to figure out how the star got the injury. But fans already knew from a tweet sent from Demi 3 days before that said, “Never, ever, ever, EVER let your roommate clean your hardwood floors with Pledge….”
We understand all too well the horror that is walking on a well-polished floor.
Brennin Hunt Broke a Leg
In January 2019, Rent Live actor Brennin Hunt, who portrayed Roger Davis in the show, broke his ankle during the rehearsal the night before the show! Fox had to use rehearsal footage instead of including him in the live show. He was, however, there for the finale with his foot in a cast. He posted a message on his Instagram and said, “I love these people so much They’ve showered me with love and kindness which is the essence of this musical. I am just truly honored and blessed to be part of this rent family.”
Just wish people “Good luck” for a change. We don’t need actors breaking their legs.
Mike Posner and the Kiss of Death
Musician and record producer Mike Posner started his walk across the continental United States from New Jersey to California on April 15, 2019. He had a hiccup along the way. In August he had made his way into Colorado and was bitten by a rattlesnake. Eeeek! He was rushed to the hospital where a video was taken of him being wheeled into care at the hospital. Mike shared the video on Instagram and captioned it:
“Whatup doe!!! Crazy day yesterday! I had just crushed 16 miles and was going for 8 more when I got bit by a baby rattlesnake! That venom is no joke! I got to the hospital and got the anti-venom in time. Shout outs to G and Mike from the chopper team and Bo and Cassie and Whitney (my nurses). I’ll be here a few days and will not be able to walk for several weeks but enjoying the AC and the nice bed, haven’t had those in a while Hahahaha! Can’t wait to get back on The Walk! KEEP GOING!!!!!!”
As you can tell, he didn’t seem too phased by the snake bite. He later finished the 2,581-mile walk on October 18, 2019.
For all the accident-prone individuals, now you know what to look out for! From car crashes to sea urchins, go-carts to rattlesnakes, it’s a dangerous world out there. Let’s take a note from these celebrities and try and make the best out of a bad situation. Just some friendly advice: look both ways before crossing the street, always double-check to make sure the car really is in park or reverse, watch your step, and never under any circumstances pop a bottle of champagne open again.
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