FX Star Says He Was ‘Dead for 3 Days’ During Medical Emergency

Billy Porter is reliving his near-death experience following his September 2025 sepsis battle.

The Pose star, 56, revealed during Monday’s episode of TS Madison’s Outlaws podcast that a kidney stone that was stuck in his urethra resulted in him developing sepsis, a life-threatening condition in which the infection-fighting processes turn on the body, causing the organs to work poorly, as per the Mayo Clinic.

“When they got in there, there was so much puss and bile, and infection, behind the stone,” Porter said, explaining that he developed the type of sepsis known as urosepsis, which begins in the urinary tract and travels to the kidneys. “It bubbled up and I went uroseptic in minutes.” 

Porter originally had gone to the doctor for a “routine check” when doctors discovered the trapped stone, but the infection was so advanced that he was quickly put on a form of life support called an ECMO machine (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine).

“I was dead for three days,” the two-time Emmy winner revealed. “I am a miracle. I’m a walking miracle.”

Porter’s troubles weren’t over when he was taken off life support, as doctors informed him he had developed “compartment syndrome,” which is 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 shared, “so they could save my leg.”

Fortunately, Porter was able to make a full recovery and is now approaching life as a “gift.” He said, “I am so grateful to be here. It is such a gift.”

The actor, who abruptly exited the Broadway production of Cabaret as a result of his sepsis battle, said his hospitalization had taught him some important lessons about work and life.

“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 said. “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.”