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A “Dancing with the Stars” alum has been hospitalized following a major health scare.
On December 8, 2022, TMZ reported that “Saturday Night Live” alum Chris Kattan had a medical emergency, requiring surgery.
Here’s what you need to know:
Chris Kattan Was Hospitalized for Pneumonia
GettyChris Kattan in 2018.
Kattan was a contestant on the 24th season of DWTS in 2017, where he was partnered with pro dancer Witney Carson. The duo became the first couple eliminated in the season that ultimately crowned NFL running back Rashad Jennings as the winner.
According to TMZ, five years after his DWTS run, Kattan, 52, underwent emergency surgery after he was diagnosed with an extreme case of pneumonia that was caused by the bacteria streptococcus pneumoniae. Pneumococcus bacteria can cause infections in the lungs, the lining of the brain, blood, and more, according to the CDC.
Kattan is recovering in the hospital and has canceled his previously scheduled stand-up comedy dates, per TMZ, including shows at The Market in Valparaiso, Indiana that had been scheduled for the weekend of December 9. A post on the venue’s Facebook page included a message from Kattan’s rep that stated: “Due to a medical emergency, Chris Kattan has to reschedule his shows this week. He is currently in the hospital and doing well but won’t be able to be on stage for a few weeks.”
The message noted that Kattan “deeply apologizes” for not being able to make his shows.
Chris Kattan Had Medical Problems Before He Was on ‘Dancing with the Stars’
Kattan has had other serious health issues over the years. After the DWTS season 24 premiere, Kattan revealed that he had broken his neck years earlier and undergone multiple surgeries. The comic now has several rods and screws in his spine, according to Entertainment Tonight.
“I broke my neck and I had four surgeries regarding that the last 20 years basically,” Kattan said in 2017, per People. “One in my back, one through the throat … I had to be careful for a really long time.”
Kattan told People that following his first surgery he was told to rest for six months but chose to return to work just 60 days later. He ultimately aggravated his condition and had to have more serious surgery a few years later.
“The doctor said I’d been so close to almost being paralyzed for the rest of my life,” Kattan said. “The rehabilitation process was really serious this time. I mean, the doctor put bolts in my back.”
Kattan initially said his injury was the result of “a stunt thing,” but he did not elaborate.
But in his 2019 book, “Baby Don’t Hurt Me: Stories and Scars From Saturday Night Live,” Kattan claimed that he broke his neck after falling off of a chair during a “Saturday Night Live” sketch in 2001. According to Variety, “SNL” staff had no record of Kattan’s injury, and the comedian never made his injury public until he joined “Dancing With the Stars” more than 15 years later.
Before his injury was made public, Kattan became upset after DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba critiqued his first dance and called him “stiff.”
“I had a great time, but Carrie Ann said, ‘Try not to be so stiff.’ My first thought was, ‘I don’t know how to do that,'” Kattan said in his DWTS Week 2 package, per Pop Culture.
Kattan also revealed that he joined the celebrity ballroom competition to show how far he had come physically following his medical ordeal.
“Years before, I just physically couldn’t do it. It’s a comeback really,” he said on DWTS. “I might not be the best dancer, but I’m just gonna go out there and do what I love doing and have a blast.”
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