Nicholas Brendon, ‘Buffy’ Star, Reportedly Suffers Paralysis

Buffy The Vampire Slayer alum Nicholas Brendon is reportedly suffering from paralysis in his genitals and legs, which has forced him to cancel his promo appearances for his upcoming Amazon Prime film Wanton Want. According to Daily Mail, Brendon is having trouble walking amid some “deep-seated medical problems and immense pain” His manager claims doctors diagnosed him with Cauda equina syndrome, a condition that forms when the nerve roots in the lumbar spine become compressed, cutting off circulation and feeling in the genitals, bladder, and bowel. 

“Right now he is concentrating on his health. He is not doing promotion for the film,” Brendon’s manager Theresa Fortier said. “This past week and a half, things have turned drastically worse. He is suffering from paralysis in his genitals and private parts. He has had difficulties with flying. Sadly his condition means he needs surgical intervention for his increasing problems. I wish he was on the mend and able to promote this movie.” The actor is currently awaiting scans for his back and groin area, but he’ll likely need to undergo major back surgery soon. 

Brendon claims his back problems began during his recent arrest last month, blaming the concrete-floored jail cell where he slept for irritating his spine. The actor was picked up in Indiana and charged with prescription fraud of a controlled substance as well as refusing to identify himself when stopped by a police officer. His manager says officers weren’t careful about his condition while he was behind bars. 

“During the arrest they were not quite careful with his condition,” Fortier claimed. “It has aggravated the symptoms of his previous injury and the paralysis is starting to reappear. He may have burst another disc or everything fell out of alignment. So sleeping on a cement floor with other inmates was not exactly conducive to healing and it aggravated his injury and since then he has been in immense pain with numbness and paralysis. The hospital needs to bring him in for another spinal surgery to correct whatever it is that has happened.” She also says Brendon needs to have surgery for an ACL and MCL tear. 

She also shared that the actor, who is most popularly known for his role as Xander on Buffy, has experienced these back issues before. “He was visiting me at my home. He was on his way to an Airbnb after we had done a Facebook live. He had a fall on the ice and we got him to the emergency room. An MRI revealed issues with his lumbar, discs, and spine. They did an emergency spinal surgery the very next day, where he had a spinal shave and a disc removal. He was told one wrong move could have left him with total paralysis,” she said. “He had been recovering slowly, but the fall aggravated issues he had in his back. His heel was going numb, he suffered paralysis in his leg and saddle area, behind his trunk.”