Billy Porter is reflecting on his terrifying health experience. The Pose star shared that he was in a coma for several days in September 2025 after learning that he had a kidney stone trapped in his urethra that caused him to develop sepsis, a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body has an extremely dysfunctional response to an infection.
"When they got in there, there was so much puss and bile, and infection, behind the stone," Billy shared during a March 2 appearance on the Outlaws podcast. He noted that the infection led to him having a type of sepsis called urosepsis, which begins in the urinary tract and travels to the kidneys. "It bubbled up and I went uroseptic in minutes."
The 56-year-old had gone to the doctor for a "routine check" at the time, but recalled that he was quickly put on an ECMO machine—a form of life support—due to the severity of his condition. "I was dead for three days," he continued. "I am a miracle. I'm a walking miracle."
However, the two-time Emmy winner's health battle wasn't over when he woke up from his coma. After he was removed from life support, his doctors informed him that his leg had "compartment syndrome," which he described as "when the muscles close in on themselves and cut off the oxygen."
"They had to cut me open on either side of my leg while I was in a coma, and from my knee to my hip, and leave it open for two days," he recalled. "So they could save my leg." Ultimately, Billy—who withdrew from his role as Emcee in Broadway's Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club due to the illness—was able to make a full recovery, which he certainly doesn't take for granted.
"I am so grateful to be here," he said. "It is such a gift." Looking back, the Cinderella actor's hospitalization taught him a few important life lessons too.
"As I sat in my hospital bed, reflecting, there were a couple of things I heard. The first thing I heard was: Work smarter, not harder," he shared. "The second thing I heard was: Be obedient and answer the call. And the third thing I heard was: Don't you ever stop telling the truth again."
