Billy Porter is speaking out after he was hospitalized for sepsis. The actor recently got candid about being very ill and ending up in the hospital.
Videos by Suggest
“I’m here, first and foremost, to say happy holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah, and everything in between,” he said in the video over the holidays.
“Some of you may or may not know that I was in the hospital very ill this fall with urosepsis,” Porter continued. He said he hasn’t had an easy time. “It was not easy. It’s been a very, very challenging four months. And I want everybody to know that I am on the road to a full recovery. I’m not there yet but I’m on the road to that.”
Porter thanked all of his fans for sending their love.
“And I wanted to thank everybody for yours prayers and your love and sending me all the vibes,” he continued. “I felt every single one of them.”
Billy Porter Speaks Out
Doctors diagnosed Porter with Urosepsis, which is sepsis of the urinary tract. The actor had been starring as the Emcee in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club. But Porter fell ill and had to withdraw from the Broadway performance. In September, his team announced that he was sick.
“[Porter’s] doctors are confident that he will make a full recovery but have advised him to maintain a restful schedule these next couple of weeks,” the release read.
“Billy was an extraordinary Emcee, bringing his signature passion and remarkable talent,” wrote producer Adam Speers, for ATG Productions. “We wish Billy a speedy recovery and I look forward to working with him again in the very near future.”
It took illness to take Porter away from the role. It’s a shame because the actor had been so excited about performing in the production.
“This show in particular, at this time in American history, it’s really important for me,” said Porter. “Art has the power to heal, art has the power to transform. My art is my calling, my purpose, my ministry, my resistance, my activism, my hope, my joy, my love. It’s everything to me. And so to be able to express myself this way is such a gift and such a blessing.”