Billy Porter held back tears on TODAY and said it was "a gift to be alive" as he recalled a bout of sepsis that left him in a coma for three days last fall.
Porter, 56, was slated to perform as Emcee for 13 weeks in a Broadway revival of "Cabaret" when he was felled in September 2025 by sepsis, when the body's response to an infection turns life-threatening, according to Mayo Clinic. The production cut its run short after Porter had to withdraw from the show.
Sepsis can result in a rapid drop in blood pressure and cause damage to the lungs, kidneys, liver and other organs, per Mayo Clinic.
Porter opened up on TODAY on March 17 about the ordeal. He said it began with a urinary infection that was "not treated properly," and the infection spread to his kidneys.
"Ended up with kidney stones stuck in the urethra, infection bubbled up into my bloodstream, urosepsis, ECMO machine, three days in a coma, compartment syndrome in my leg," Porter recalled.
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