The actress, Jenifer Lewis, courageously recounted a terrifying ordeal that nearly cost her life. She revealed that during a trip to the Serengeti in Tanzania, she suffered a devastating fall from a hotel balcony, plummeting a seemingly endless 10 feet into a ravine filled with jagged boulders and sharp rocks. As she recounted the harrowing incident in a preview of her sit-down interview with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America, it was clear the memory still haunted her.
Lewis recounted that in 2022, after wrapping up her role on the show Black-ish and releasing a book, she had planned to retire and embark on a journey of discovery. However, her adventurous spirit led to a devastating turn of events when, during her first day at the resort, she ventured out onto the balcony to admire the infinity pool in the night. Unaware of an uncovered gap, she suddenly lost her footing and fell, the impact of the fall jarring her hip and shoulder against the harsh terrain.
"I was in shock," she confessed. "In the pitch-black night, I didn't even realize I was falling. I couldn't move a muscle." In a moment of desperation, she called out to her friend Lori, who had accompanied her on the trip. As Lori rushed to get help, Lewis heard the roar of a lion, a terrifying reminder of the wilds she had ventured into. "My last thought," she quipped, "was that this would make a headline: 'The king ate the queen: Pieces of Jenifer Lewis' body being flown back to the states.'"
Miraculously, Lewis recovered from her injuries and went on to star in NBC's Night Court revival and Jennifer Lopez's musical movie This Is Me... Now: A Love Story. As for why she kept the fall a secret, Roberts explained that Lewis wanted to wait until she could show the world that she had overcome the adversity. It was Niecy Nash who alerted Roberts to the story, revealing that Lewis had planned to share her fall and recovery journey on social media at the end of last year.
The full interview with Lewis airs Tuesday night at 5:30 p.m. PT/8:30 p.m. ET on ABC News Live and will be available on Hulu later in the evening, providing a poignant reminder of the resilience and spirit of Jenifer Lewis.
