He almost died at a tragically young age, but Adam Devine probably wouldn't be the same successful actor and comedian if not for the scary close calls.
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00:00He almost died at a tragically young age, but Adam Devine probably wouldn't be the same
00:04successful actor and comedian if not for the scary close calls.
00:09Perhaps the most significant moment of Adam Devine's life happened when he was only 11
00:13years old.
00:14He was on his way to buy candy from a convenience store and peek at Penthouse magazine when
00:19he walked into the road with his bike by his side.
00:21He was then struck by a cement truck and dragged about 500 feet down the street, as he recalled
00:27to Entertainment Weekly.
00:28Somebody way across the street, he yelled, "'Come on!' as in, I'm excited to go look
00:33at boobs, and I heard, "'Come on!' as in, the coast is clear."
00:38Devine's injuries included broken ribs and leg bones and punctured lungs.
00:42It was so severe that he had to be put into a medically-induced coma.
00:46The gravity of the situation only really sunk in when his family arrived at the hospital
00:51and saw how badly he was hurt.
00:53As he recalled on the Armchair Expert podcast, every adult in his life was standing over
00:58him and crying, including his usually tough dad.
01:01"...never saw him cry.
01:03And then he's just like shaking and bawling, and I'm like, oh my god."
01:07The years following Devine's accident weren't exactly easy, as he had to work to regain
01:11his mobility.
01:12As he explained to KETV in 2016,
01:15"...it was really tough because I had to relearn how to walk, stand up, sit up, and everything."
01:20He underwent nearly 30 different surgeries and spent a lot of time in wheelchairs, but
01:25he was determined to heal.
01:27And by the time he reached eighth grade, he was remarkably able to play football.
01:31But one of the conditions of playing was that he had to wear extra protective layers.
01:35"...not only did I wear all the pads that they make you wear in football, my mom made
01:40me wear arm guards.
01:41My arms weren't hurt."
01:43After his accident, Devine found comfort in comedy.
01:46He spent a lot of time watching movies and Saturday Night Live sketches while also honing
01:51his own skills.
01:52After a while, he began to see his accident as a blessing.
01:55He told Entertainment Weekly in 2016,
01:57"...I'm glad that it happened to me.
01:59It really gave me a driving force.
02:01A lot of comics say that something traumatic happened in their lives.
02:05That sort of pushes them in this direction."
02:07During this time, Devine began calling a local radio station and doing impressions live on
02:12air.
02:13They were so impressed that they wanted to give him a job, though they were forced to
02:16retract that offer when they realized he was a child.
02:19Nevertheless, he kept calling into the station and was paid via CDs and concert tickets.
02:24"...so like I was always taking my friends to shows."
02:27Devine was also able to utilize his comedy to hit back at bullies when he returned to
02:31school.
02:32He began to write down funny quips and comebacks in notebooks so that he was always prepared
02:36for some verbal sparring.
02:37"...my dad's like, you can't get in a fight, so you gotta punch him back with your words.
02:42Think of some funny things to say back to them."
02:44In 2021, it was announced that Devine and his Workaholics co-stars would be reuniting
02:49for a film that was set to drop on Paramount+.
02:52But then the streamer pulled the plug just weeks before the shoot was scheduled to get
02:56underway.
02:57Devine took to Instagram to express his displeasure, writing,
03:00"...we are deeply butthurt about this decision because he was so excited to bring the weird
03:05one last time.
03:07I'm butthurt that I don't get to work with my best friends again.
03:10I'm butthurt for the fans and I'm butthurt for our loyal crew and other cast members
03:15who are now going to have to scramble to find new jobs."
03:18While the Workaholics movie won't be happening anytime soon, fans can still get their fix
03:22by listening to the crew's podcast.
03:24This is important.
03:25The hosts often get candid about their personal lives, such as when Devine opened up about
03:30his father's lung cancer diagnosis.
03:32"'Cause usually with lung cancer, you don't find it until it's too late, and so we got
03:37lucky in the fact that his voice went out."
03:40Devine also mentioned how his dad had put some weight on following the diagnosis, but
03:44that was actually a good thing, because cancer patients often end up losing weight when their
03:48symptoms and their treatments take away their appetites.
03:51Then on Father's Day 2022, Devine revealed on Instagram that his dad was in remission.
03:57As he wrote,
03:58"'I never thought about him not being a part of my life and it shook me to my core.
04:02As I post this, I think of all the people who have lost their fathers and how hard today
04:06must be for them.'"
04:07Devine has overcome great odds to get where he is today.
04:10He's now a successful actor, a happily married man, and a proud dad.
04:14Despite all those blessings, he's still suffering from serious health issues.
04:18In 2023, he was in and out of the hospital for a variety of treatments.
04:22As his wife Chloe Bridges revealed on Instagram,
04:25"...he saw 11 different doctors, including a rheumatologist, two neurologists, two pain
04:30management specialists, three orthopedic surgeons, and a soft tissue specialist.
04:35He had 10 MRIs, three PRP shots, twice-a-week physical therapy, acupuncture, a few epidurals,
04:43and two surgeries."
04:44Alas, the end of all that pain still isn't quite in sight.
04:47As she added,
04:48"...they still can't figure out what's wrong with him, but he's recovering from his latest
04:52surgery now and we hope this one helps."