Billy Porter got candid about his months-long battle with sepsis. The diagnosis first came to light after the Tony and Emmy-winning star stepped away from the Broadway production of Cabaret in September 2025. It was later revealed that Porter recovered from a “serious case of sepsis” at the time.
Billy Porter details struggle during Sepsis battle
Billy Porter opened up about the life-threatening health issues during a recent appearance on TS Madison’s Outlaws podcast. He began, “The medicine in the U.K. is trash. Four rounds of antibiotics and 10 to 12 weeks later, it’s a kidney infection with kidney stones. Fast forward…they finally give me medicine. It seems to go away.”
However, the kidney stone pain returned after the actor began his rehearsals for Cabaret back in the US. “By Tuesday, I checked myself into the hospital because I’m in so much pain,” an emotional Porter recalled. “They went in to do a routine check. They saw that the kidney stone was trapped in my urethra… put a stent in, redirected the urine, [and] blasted me with real antibiotics. Not that weak shit. Then go in through my penis and blow up the kidney stones,” he shared.
Porter recalled how his condition deteriorated shortly after. “When they got in there, there was so much pus, and bile, and infection behind the stone. It bubbled up, and I went uroseptic in minutes,” the Pose actor said, adding how he had to be put on life support. “I was dead for three days. I am a miracle. I’m a walking miracle,” Porter shared.
He added, “When I woke up, they told me my leg had gone into compartment syndrome, which is when the muscles close in on themselves and cut off the oxygen. So 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, leave it open for two days so they could save my leg.”
Porter previously gave an update on his health in an Instagram video in December last year. The actor talked about experiencing a “very challenging four months,” but assured fans that he is “on the road to a full recovery.”
