Billy Porter says he is grateful to be alive after a life-threatening health crisis that forced him to step away from Broadway last year.
The Emmy-winning performer recently opened up about his hospitalization for sepsis, describing the experience as so severe that he now considers himself “a walking miracle.”
According to People, Porter first revealed in September 2025 that he had been diagnosed with sepsis while starring in a Broadway revival of Cabaret. At the time, it was confirmed that he was dealing with a serious case of the condition and had been advised to maintain a strict period of rest, prompting his abrupt departure from the production.
Sepsis occurs when the body responds improperly to an infection, triggering a potentially deadly chain reaction throughout the body.
During a March 2 appearance on Outlaws, the podcast hosted by TS Madison, Porter detailed how the medical emergency unfolded. He explained that doctors discovered a kidney stone lodged in his urethra during a routine checkup.
“When they got in there, there was so much puss, and bile, and infection behind the stone,” Porter said. “It bubbled up and I went uroseptic in minutes.” According to medical experts, urosepsis occurs when a urinary tract infection spreads to the kidneys and enters the bloodstream.
The infection quickly escalated, forcing doctors to place Porter on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine, a form of life support used when the heart or lungs can no longer function properly on their own. Reflecting on the ordeal, Porter said, “I was dead for three days. I am a miracle. I'm a walking miracle.”
Complications from the infection also affected his leg while he was unconscious. Porter said doctors later informed him that he developed compartment syndrome, a condition in which swelling cuts off oxygen supply to muscle tissue.
“They had to cut me open on either side of my leg while I was in a coma, from my knee to my hip, and leave it open for two days so they could save my leg,” he explained.
Porter, who is also living with HIV, has long spoken publicly about health awareness and advocacy. According to the National Institute of Health, individuals with weakened immune systems—including those living with advanced HIV—can face higher risks of severe infections that may lead to sepsis. Advances in antiretroviral therapy, however, have dramatically reduced those risks for many patients.
The near-death experience has reshaped Porter’s outlook. “I am so grateful to be here. It is such a gift,” he said, adding that the months following his hospitalization have been challenging but hopeful.